Golden God
by Mr. Me2
Summary: To save the lives of millions, Gohan is forced to expose himself as a Super Saiyan, proving that his tricks are indeed very real. And it drives the whole world to insanity. Warning; becomes a little graphic goes as it on.
1. Chapter 1, Beginning

I've read stories where Gohan reveals the true nature of his 'tricks', but I usually found the reaction the people have to be rather underwhelming.

So I decided to write my own version.

Careful, it gets darker as it goes on. I gave it an M rating for a reason.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **Change**

* * *

High above the planet Earth, there was a single spacecraft floating among the many satellites. But unlike all the others, this one was not from this planet.

Inside it, several strange, bug-like creatures were monitoring the many screens and dials.

"Sir, we have found a suitable place." One of them spoke up to what seemed to be his superior. "The energy accumulated here will set us up for years. Requesting permission to start up the scanning procedure."

The superior glanced at a few numbers passing by on one of the screens. He said only one word. "Granted."

* * *

Friday afternoon, last period.

' _This is so dull.'_ He thought, as he put his head on his arms. _'We've been through this at least three times already. Can't we just move on?'_ He stretched out his aching back a bit.

"Gohan!" A voice snapped through the room. Gohan shot up and looked in the direction of the voice, which just so happened to be at the front of the classroom.

"Busted." Erasa whispered to him from his right, while sporting a bright grin.

"I know you've learned this already, but I can't have you slack off in my classes." The math teacher continued. "It gives a bad example to the rest of the students if I do."

"Err… sorry sir." Gohan replied, bowing his head slightly.

The teacher simply nodded and continued on with his lesson.

"You see, before you can find X you will have to solve a few other…" The dreadfully boring voice droned on.

Son Gohan had been in school for a few days now, having started just earlier this week. He also made his debut as Saiyaman on the very same day, to the chagrin of one of his classmates.

Videl Satan.

In a word, fierce. She had made it her personal mission to unmask Saiyaman, even though Gohan was sitting only two seats from her.

She was also the daughter of the illustrious Hercule Satan, champion of the world. The man who defeated Cell. Or so the world believed. Gohan knew better, but he didn't talk about it. If that guy wanted his credit, he could have it. All he wanted was peace.

The droning voice was interrupted by the bell. Finely. The half-blood Saiyan was wondering if this day would ever end. Stretching himself out, he saw a certain blonde jock eyeing him.

"Had a rough night?" Sharpner implied.

"No, just bored to death" Gohan replied, as he grabs his books.

"You and everyone else" Videl added smugly. "I mean really, that has to be the fourth time he's been through that. I'm surprised we didn't hear any snores."

Gohan nodded, somewhat absentmindedly. None of the three paid much attention to him.

Sharpner was a prime example of a jock, and thus thought a nerd like Gohan was beneath his notice. And he was eager to show it. He took pride in his muscles, and his strength, and was most definitely Mr. Satan's spiritual child. The only thing missing was an afro, replaced by long blonde locks.

Videl was suspicious about him being Saiyaman, mostly because those two appeared on the same day. Especially because Saiyaman appeared after she had pointed out Gohan's similarities to the Golden Fighter, who appeared that very day as well.

And hasn't been seen since.

In hindsight, that might not have been such a good idea.

Other than that, she tended to be entitled. Teachers bowed to her will, and rules did not apply to her.

Although she did risk her own life and health helping at the police, she was rather vocal about it, proudly retelling her stories, painting herself to be a few shades more heroic than what she had actually done. Which was jarring to Gohan, as he tended to be there, as Saiyaman.

And she was proud, so very proud, to the point where it made her arrogant. Proud of her father, proud of her work, proud of her strength, of her popularity, her wealth, her servants, her title as junior champion, her two close friends, the classy way she could move her pinkie, just to name a few.

Yet Gohan could see her side. She had grown up believing her father had saved the world, in wealth unimaginable, with servants bowing to her feet at every opportunity. And she was strong, for someone who could not use her energy, she was very strong indeed.

She also had a boyish streak, which he found rather charming.

And finally there was Erasa, who was busy chatting to Videl. Of the three, she had been the nicest to Gohan, inviting him up to the roof for lunch and all that. Yet he could not help but feel her niceness was insincere, as if she was trying to get him to do something.

But such is life. Gohan only knew these things because he could feel their reflections in their respective energies. Ignoring that, they were fairly good people.

Gohan followed the others out of the gates, then made his grand exit.

"NIMBUS!" He called.

"Go ahead, take your stupid cloud." Videl grumped in his general direction. As usual, he decided to ignore it, knowing she was only grumpy because she couldn't ride it. She had her pride to protect after all.

"See you tomorrow." Gohan waved, as only Erasa waved back.

* * *

Weekend passed. Monday passed. The only thing of notice was Saiyaman helping Videl rescue the mayor.

Then, on Tuesday, destiny awaited.

* * *

The aliens in the spacecraft, which was currently circling and observing the planet, were looking at a large screen, with a picture of Hercule Satan on it.

"The primary threat from this planet." One of the aliens stood in front of it and spoke to the others. "Although we do not have a reading on him yet, we do have several readings of over a million." Several gasps were heard. "We do know for a fact that he is proclaimed to be the strongest on this world, so his power must be at least that high. Luckily, we finally found a weakness."

The screen changed to show a picture of Videl. "His daughter. Scans put her as high as twelve thousand. But her readings are also unstable, often vanishing on the spot. Unfortunately, repressing one's power seems to be commonplace on this planet. So she might be merely repressing it as not to scare her fellow Humans. But either way, it is nowhere near as high as that of her father."

Now the screen changed to show both pictures side by side.

"We have determined that this species puts a high value in its offspring. Therefore, should we capture the kid, the father may be persuaded to stand aside, or perhaps even aid us in our conquest."

"But surely he won't let her out of his sight." Another protested.

"Ah, but he does." The first showed a sly grin. "They have grown confident in their power. Though that of the kid is still nowhere near that of her father, she is still a long shot above the rest. I know for a fact he leaves her unguarded for several days at a time. And I know for a fact that he has left again for a few days. In just a few hours, our opportunity will come.

Since she is probably going to be a problem with her high power, we will first give them a show of power by annihilating the entire city she lives in. Then, when she is weakened, we will move and capture her."

* * *

Videl was having a pleasant dream about unmasking Saiyaman and beating the living daylight, shit and everything else out of him.

As such, she was not very happy when her alarm went off, so she threw it out the window and turned around to continue her dream.

But she was already awake, so she simply spent her time trying her hardest to sleep again, which of course did not work in the slightest.

And to top it off, one of the maids entered her room.

"Mistress Videl." The young woman called her. "Is it not time for you to wake yet?"

Videl simply sat up a little, and gave the poor woman such a death glare that she was reeling out of the room.

But she was up now, might as well pretend to try to be on time.

So she climbed out of her bed and threw off her clothes as she walked to her personal bathroom. A maid would come in and clean those up for her later.

This morning would at least have one upside. Her father was out on his _business trips_ , A.K.A. being with a random woman, so she had home free, which was nice for a change. She loved her father, but he could be so grating. He wouldn't be back until the day after tomorrow.

After her shower she picked a set of clothes, many of which were identical, and made her way to the dining hall, where her breakfast was waiting for her.

Or it should have been, had it been ready. One of the servants told her that the cook would be done in a minute. That was the second time this month. Perhaps it was time for a new cook.

A long time later, about fifty seconds, her eggs, bacon, milk, juice, toast, pancakes and sausages were brought to her.

She wolfed most of it down, leaving the pancakes with apple syrup because she didn't feel like eating sweet at the moment.

Once done, she walked out, threw down the capsule of her copter and flew off.

At school, she arrived just in time to see Gohan land on the roof, jumping from that _thing_ of his. A Nimbus Cloud, he called it. Unnatural, she called it.

According to him, you had to be pure of heart to ride it. Off course, no one but him could sit on it, which was not suspicious at all.

Whatever his angle was, she wasn't buying his tricks.

' _But what's the point?'_ She asked herself. _'What does he want from me?'_ She'd love to just throw him out of her circle of friends, but he had not given a reason to.

Not a valid one, at least. There was a limit to what even she could get away with.

Except for that riding cloud trick of his, he hasn't really shown signs of… anything really. So until he showed his true colours, or she figured out his trick, she would have to endure his presence.

Fortunately, the boy wasn't as bad as she first thought. If she could forget about his lies and tricks, she might actually like the guy. Erasa drabbled on about how he was nice, kind, cute and handsome, and though Videl had to argue the last points on principle, she had to admit to herself, he was likable enough.

Unfortunately, her suspicions about him being both Saiyaman and the Gold Fighter mostly blocked her from seeing any redeeming qualities he might have. And she wouldn't have it any other way.

She greeted her friends the usual way, Erasa with a smile, Sharpner with a gut punch and Gohan with a scowl.

Everything was as it usually was. Until just after lunch.

Lunch. How in the world could one boy eat so much? It was freakish. And disgusting.

But now she had a job to do. Seven thugs were trying to rob a warehouse. The police had them surrounded, but since the robbers were armed, they didn't dare go inside. Useless cowards, the lot of them!

Ah well, it meant action for her, which was something she'd never turn down. Kicking criminal butt was one of her favourite hobbies.

So she got back in her copter, flew to the roof, put the thing on autopilot and jumped out.

There was an entrance to the roof, which she knew. The plan was to jump in from above. There were no hostages, which left her pretty much free to do as she pleased.

And she did.

The first guy she jumped, and knocked out with a swift kick to the back of the head. The second noticed, but was not fast enough to avoid the punch to his gut, knocking the breath, and consciousness, out of him as well.

The third raised his gun, but she knocked it out of his hands.

He surrendered. As did the other four.

"Please don't hurt us." One pleaded from his knees.

"Why shouldn't I" She returned, pumping her fist. "You're the ones trying to take what isn't yours."

"We didn't have a choice." He pleaded some more.

"You did have one, and you chose wrong." She kicked him in the face. Or tried too, had a white gloved hand not taken her ankle at the last moment.

"Saiyaman." Her eyes narrowed as she pulled herself free. "What are you doing here?" She snapped. "Are you defending these criminals?" She suddenly got an idea. "You're one of them! I will arrest you!"

The clown ignored her. "The police are still outside." He addressed the thugs. "Walk out with your hands above your head, and they'll take you in."

"Thank you, Mr. Saiyaman." And the five promptly left to do just that.

"What the hell!" She was outraged. "You let them GO?!" She attacked with the last word. Her kick swept underneath his feet as lifted up.

"Get back here!" She yelled after him. But he didn't, and left the building through a window.

So Videl, pissed as she was, had no choice but to leave as well. Either that or stay here for no reason.

So she left, just in time to witness the five being handcuffed. She couldn't legally beat them up now. And she needed to beat something.

One of the officers approached her.

"Two more inside." She pointed over her shoulder. "They actively resisted, and tried to shoot me."

One of the criminals overheard and looked at her in disbelief.

Videl didn't care. They chose to be criminals, and now they were going to pay for it.

She got into her jet copter, which was brought to her by an officer, and went back to school.

* * *

In the afternoon. Videl was walking out of school with her two friends, and one more.

She still didn't have proof that this guy was Saiyaman, but she heard from Erasa that he makes a _bathroom break_ every time she leaves to fight crime. That's not suspicious at all.

Just today, that guy had interrupted her fight, while only yesterday he showed up for few thugs who took the major captive.

Both of these were hardly more than petty thugs, who bit off more than they could chew, even without the likes of Saiyaman around.

There was a massive bank robbery on Sunday, which ended with the robbers getting away with it. And Saiyaman hadn't shown up. Nor to any crimes she wasn't called away for.

But she had to catch him in the act, so her hands were tied. For now.

She glanced back at the boy, who to her surprise was still there. So she gave him the _'I know you know I know your secret, but I know you know I know I can't prove it yet'_ look.

Needless to say, he didn't get it.

He did, however get her other message. _'Get lost!'_

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Gohan said as he waved slightly. "NIMBUS!" He called at the top of his lungs.

She watched his trickery with distaste.

' _Whatever.'_ She told herself. _'I'll get you eventually.'_

She sighed. It had been a long day. She felt tired. She couldn't wait to get home.

She heard the cry of a child somewhere, and the tired voice of the mother trying to soothe.

A car swirled over the road, left to right, only barely staying on the road. She flipped him off, along with many others.

People were strutting about. A few even sat down at the sidewalk.

Videl's alarm bells were ringing. She pushed her own tiredness to the background, and observed.

The entire street looked like The Waking Dead. Even Sharpner was walking rather slumped, his eyes only half open. Gohan was also looking around, sitting on his cloud. Unlike normal, people hardly looked at him.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Erasa said next to her.

"Leaving already?" Videl wanted to know, raising an eyebrow. Usually Erasa would accompany her to the mansion.

"I'm feeling a bit tired." The blonde girl replied.

Sharpner managed to give a huff. "But you didn't do anything today."

Erasa just smiled a bit before walking on.

She only took a few more steps, then collapsed on the floor.

* * *

"ERASA, WAKE UP!" Videl screamed at the girl in her arms. She had caught the other just before she could hit the ground, but Erasa seemed to have lost consciousness all of a sudden.

And she wasn't the only one on the ground. More people were falling down where they stood.

Gohan, now alerted, did a fast check-up on Erasa's energy. It was low, and dropping. As was that of everyone around them.

No, it wasn't dropping; it was leaving their bodies and moving up.

Come to think of it, even his own energy was leaving and being pulled up. He hadn't even noticed it, since it wasn't all that much to him. He raised his power, and now his energy obeyed him again. But the people around him couldn't do that.

So he did the only thing he could think of. He pushed his power up further, and spread out his energy over the area.

* * *

Directly above them, high in the air, but still within the Earth's atmosphere, the aliens were regulating their equipment, to make sure everything was going well.

However, it was not going well.

"Sir, we have a rising power." One of the aliens reported, pointing at a number which kept going up, and was already in he thousands.

"She has made her move." The commander grinned.

"Sir, our energy draining is dropping." Someone else yelled.

"What?!" He asked. "How?"

"Someone is blocking it." The reply came immediately.

"Satan!" The commanded said under his breath. It would seem he had underestimated her.

Oh well, no matter.

"Turn up the power." He commanded.

"But what if she keeps clogging it?" The other protested. "It's not designed to just pull like that, it'll malfunction."

"She is compensating for the entire city; she can not keep that up forever." The commander replied quickly, pretty much making it up on the spot. "Soon she will have to stop protecting others for her own life, or die trying."

"As you say, sir."

* * *

Videl glanced left and right, looking for help. But all around her were more collapsed people.

Screeching of tires reached her ears. Along with the loud crash that followed. The zoom of jets and copters that were no longer properly controlled, if at all.

The only thing missing were the screams. No one had the strength to do so anymore.

"What is going on?" She nearly cried. Sharpner was also bending over Erasa, but his face was fallen and his knees shaky. And she wasn't doing much better either.

She looked back at the newest member of their group. Gohan was still standing on his feet, having jumped off his cloud, and was looking at the sky, wearing a frown.

' _Why isn't he affected?'_ She asked herself.

Then he lowered his gaze, and looked at her. It actually shocked her how different he looked. Confidence was brimming in his onyx eyes. His usually grinning features had become hardened, and serious.

She felt a warmth in her chest. Not a feeling, her insides were actually warming up. And her drowsiness and tiredness vanished like spring snow.

Below her, Erasa's eyes sprung open. She sat up straight again. "What happened?" She asked, rubbing a hand over her head.

She wasn't the only one; all around people who were on the ground were getting up again.

"I feel weird." Sharpner complained, holding one hand to his chest. So Videl wasn't the only one.

"What is THAT?" Erasa yelled, pointing up to the sky. Videl's eyes followed her finger. There was something up there. A small black spot contrasted against the crystal clear skies. It was too small to be seen clearly.

Then she felt a pull. The warmth inside her was ripped out, leaving fatigue in its place. But only for a second.

A strange wind was picking up. It centred itself around the raven haired guy. He had his eyes closed, and was making deep breaths. And his feet were a little about the ground.

"Aha!" The entire situation pushed out of her mind she pointed at him with glee. "You are Saiyaman!" She accused the boy.

"Really?" He opened his eyes again. She could see the disappointment in them. "The entire city is having the life sucked out of it, and that's all you can think about?" He sighed, shaking his head. Then he looked up again, annoyed this time. The wind grew in strength.

"What do you think you're doing?" Videl tried her best glare on him. It failed, mostly because he wasn't looking her way. She continued anyway. "You stop that trickery right now, or so help me, I will make you!"

Gohan seemed to ignore her, his focus on the sky. The winds picked up some more, and started swirling fast now. The warmth inside her had grown to a painful heat.

"Get out of here." He said calmly, before rising higher in the air.

Not quite what she wanted to hear.

Forgetting the fact that he was, well, levitating and generating wind out of nowhere, she ran up to him to grab him by the collar. "WHO DO YOU…" Her voice broke the moment she touched.

It burned.

She knew pain. Even being burned was no strange feeling to her. Once, she even gripped the burning hot valve to let out the water in the tank.

But this was a different kind of heat.

It was the same as the one within her, yet so much more intense.

' _It's him.'_ She realised. _'He's doing this. But how? Why?'_

"Stop that!" She commanded. "I don't care how you do that, you're hurting people!"

"Listen, I am not…"

"I said STOP!" Videl swung her fist at him, fully intending to strike him in the face, and bring him down, stopping whatever he had been doing.

He caught it in his palm. It was like sticking her hand into boiling water. Inadvertently, a scream escaped her lips as she drew back.

"This is not the time." He decided, and took for the skies, much like Saiyaman had so many times before. He went up slowly, only just high enough to not be reached anymore.

Videl wanted to scream after him, but did not find the words. The pain in her hand had been all too real. And there was something else.

Some kind of blue vapour was coming off of him, spreading out in all directions. It seemed to float on the strong wind.

The blue vapour quickly grew thicker, becoming light blue mist. Most of it went up, straight into the sky, but much of it spread out, drifting in between the buildings.

And her insides felt like they were on fire. Whatever this mist was, it was the cause.

She had to get away. It was as logical as distancing oneself from a fire that's burning too hot. Yet, for all the heat burning within, she was frozen to the spot.

The mist grew thicker, forming the shape of a flame around him. It seemed to ooze out of his very body.

He was still going up, his strange blue whatever-it-was going with him. He was completely surrounded by it now.

And as he flew up, the fire within her eased.

"What's he doing?" Sharpner had joined her, and was now looking at Gohan as well, along with pretty much anyone within visual range.

It was getting harder not to notice him, as his blue fire grew larger and brighter. It was terrifying; the she felt her legs shake beneath her, as if the ground itself was trembling.

It _**was**_ trembling. And the winds had grown so strong it had become hard to breathe. The reflections in the windows of the nearby buildings were shaking heavily. Had there been clouds, they would probably have parted.

This was no trick. This cannot be faked. Such a thing simply cannot exist.

People screamed, and ran. But she was too close. She had felt it too intensely. The strange light. The blue vapour, mist and fire. The strong air currents. The trembling of the very ground beneath their feet.

This cannot be faked.

This could only be real.

The blue hue had grown as he rose higher; the flame alone was now many metres across. And spreading still. The blue mist had spread out over the entire sky.

Then she heard a voice. It was merely a hum at first, yet she heard it despite the currents worthy of a hurricane.

No, it was carried by the wind. The wind came from Gohan himself, and carried his voice for many miles.

As the flame grew larger and brighter still, the image of Gohan himself was distorted and only vaguely resembled a Human, the voice rose in pitch and volume.

Twice it stopped, only to continue louder and higher.

' _Why are you doing this?'_ Videl asked herself. _'What are you trying to prove? Aren't you Gohan, the pure hearted nerd from out of town? The socially awkward guy? Didn't you save people as Saiyaman, whether I liked it or not? How could you do this? Why?'_

The shaking grew worse. Glass was already shattering, the deadly shards carried in the wind. Videl was barely hanging to the ground as it was.

Again the voice grew, becoming a scream. A scream of pain, anger, anguish. Rapidly it grew louder.

And then a flash. It was so bright it burned itself into her eyes. A ripple of gold flowed through the blue, turning it bright enough to drown out the sun itself.

The blue of the sky was no longer even visible.

The cracking, the shaking, the wind, the heat. It all grew rapidly. And above it all was Gohan's scream, long and loud.

She pushed herself up a little to look up. She didn't even know when she had fallen, but she found herself face down on the stone, alongside Erasa. In between was Sharpner, either arm protectively over the girls, pressing them down into the ground.

The tiles beneath her rumbled, as each shook in its very own way.

The wind above her ripped at her hair and clothes.

The scream filled her ears, drowning out all else.

The light blinded her eyes, the flash still burned into her retinas.

…

And then it was gone.

…

The light, the scream, the shaking, it all died down at once. The wind ripped a few seconds longer, then died as well.

Videl looked up again. She saw a golden beam go straight up, and vanish in the sky.

…

Ever so slowly, her vision recovered, and a bright figure, surrounded in much smaller golden flames, became clear.

It just floated there, violating many laws of logic and physics. As if he didn't just thoroughly rape them just now.

She grimaced. This was bad. This couldn't be good. Reality had shifted. Whatever happened, her life was over.

She saw something fall, from way up in the sky. From where she saw the bright beam vanish into.

It was dark, and had a strange shape.

Like half of it had been torn off.

It was growing fast, thus falling fast.

The golden figure merely raised an arm, and a small, glowing ball of gold flew out. It hit the black thing with a massive blast. She could feel the heat all the way down here.

When the fireball vanished, so had the black thing.

Then the golden figure flew higher, and turned into a yellow streak across the sky, spanning to the horizon.

* * *

 **End of Chapter**

* * *

I hope you liked this.

I might take a while to upload the second chapter though. I'm focusing on my other story first. But since the next chapter for that one wasn't ready, and this one was, I decided to just upload this one.


	2. Chapter 2, Godhood

Wow, this got way more attention than I expected. I just hope I don't disappoint anyone.

Thank you all. All I can say is that I'm grinning like an idiot while writing this note.

I guess I could answer two questions.

 **To anonymous reviewer:** Yes, the aliens were getting Gohan's power rather than Videl's. I thought I made it pretty obvious, But I guess I'll just state it outright here.

And I did have a scene of the aliens measuring Gohan's power in the hundreds of millions before he turned Super, but it was mostly just them screaming their heads off without actually contributing anything, and it felt so out of place, I decided to scrap it.

 **To WiffleDick678:** To be honest, I hadn't really thought of that. But I guess I'm going with a no, Gohan didn't train after the Cell Games. His power is equal to that of the cannon Gohan before Buu came along. It's still incredibly high though.

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **Godhood**

* * *

Videl came to a rest in a dark alley, where she believed no one would look for her. It was there that she finally took the time to catch her breath. At first, her blonde friends had tried to keep up, but she simply outran them both.

"Gohan…" She whispered. "The Golden Fighter…" There was no mistake, Gohan was the Golden Fighter. And the Delivery Boy.

And real. So very real.

"Why did he do that?" She asked herself again. She shook her head. No use in thinking about it now. She could ask him the next time she saw him. Try to press him… into…

But it's real. And if it's real, she can't make him do anything, not someone who can shake the earth with his voice.

Her train of thought was derailed by her ringing phone. _'Dad.'_

She picked up.

"Videl." He said before she even had a chance to say anything. "Are you safe? Where are you?" His voice sounded worried, and frightened.

"I'm fine." She replied, somewhat annoyed he had to call at this exact moment, and yet glad to hear his voice.

"Get out of the city, right now!" He commanded. "Get out, and hurry! Don't let anyone follow you! Don't take anyone with you! Just throw away your phone and run!"

And he hung up. Just like that.

"But why?" She asked, even though the line had disconnected. "What's going on? What am I supposed to do?"

* * *

"This is not fair!" Trunks screamed at his mother. "I can't even lift a car outside without being grounded! But when Gohan just goes Super Saiyan in the middle of the city, it is fine?"

His mother shook her head, setting down her coffee on the table.

"It is not fine." Bulma sighed. "This is very bad. What possessed him to do that?"

"Maybe he was getting sick of the liar?" Trunks suggested.

"He's not you." His mother replied in a tired tone.

"Whatever." The boy shrugged. "Just ask him when he gets here."

This made his mother shoot up. "He's coming this way? She asked.

"He's here already." Trunks pointed to the front of the house.

"But why?" Bulma asked, more to herself than to Trunks.

"I don't know, he just flew around the world for a bit, and then came here."

"Just…" Bulma sighed. "Just go get him, would you?"

He did so, and not even a minute later brought Gohan into the spacious kitchen.

"H-hey Bulma…" The teenager greeted her nervously.

"Gohan." She nodded. "Sit down."

"Oh, you're in trouble!" Trunks gleefully said to the taller half-blood.

"Trunks, go someplace else." His mother told him.

"But I want to see!" He complained. A single glare from his mother, combined with a finger pointing to the door send him running out.

"Gohan." She looked him dead in the eyes. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure." The boy started. "I was walking out with three of my classmates, and I was about to leave when I noticed their energies getting low. It was being sucked into the sky. Even my own. So I raised my power and restored their energy, but it wasn't just them, the entire city was being drained. So I spread out my energy, to be drained in their stead, and increased my power more to stop the draining. But then they turned up the strength of the drain. So I kept increasing until I surpassed them, then send all of it up at once."

"I see." Bulma nodded. This was just like what Goku and Vegeta had done to the Big Gete Star. And Vegeta against android 19. Try to drain the energy of a Super Saiyan, and you might bite off more than you can chew, especially when they start to actively ram it down your throat.

"But did you really have to go super?" She asked him. She knew second-hand how much power that state possessed. It just seemed a little overboard to her.

"Probably not." Gohan admitted. "But I was compensating for the entire city. If I let go for even a moment, everyone would be dead. I couldn't take that risk."

She nodded. That must have been a terrible pressure he had been under.

"But who did it?" She then asked.

"I don't know. Aliens, I think. By the time I noticed them, they were already trying to kill the entire city."

"What happened to them?" Bulma asked, though she did have an idea.

"I took care of them." Gohan replied.

Of course he did. He was just like his father. Pure of heart, and caring for life. But when push comes to shove, he'll kill his opponents without hesitation, or remorse.

But Bulma had long since gotten used to that.

"So I guess we can't ask them what they were here for." She sighed. "This is a real mess. But what's done is done; best we can do now is minimising the damage. And speaking of damage, your little action caused quite a bit of it."

"If I hadn't done it, the entire city might have been killed." Gohan tried to explain himself.

"I know that." Bulma acknowledged it. "But the rest of the world does not. The news doesn't have a word about aliens, or anyone else being involved but you. Or rather, the Golden Fighter."

"So what do you think I should do?" He finally asked the one question he came here for.

"To be honest, I'm not sure." Bulma replied. "I think it is best if you lay low for a while. Did anyone see you transform?"

"Probably." Gohan said. "I was with some classmates at the time, after all. And there were a lot of people in the streets, but of course they don't know me."

"Well, I guess your identity is up for grasps then." Bulma concluded. "Or would be, had I not been one of the most influential people in the world."

"You'd do that for me?" Gohan asked, sounding happy.

"Of course I would, I know you wouldn't like the attention." She put him at ease. "But for now, I think it is best if you lay low, and don't make more appearances as the Golden Fighter. By the way, have you passed by your mother yet? I'm sure she's worried sick about you."

"Ah." His eyes lit up with realisation. "I guess I'll better be going then. Thanks a lot, Bulma."

"Anytime kid." She smiled as he flew out the window.

Then the smile vanished, Replaced by a large frown.

This was not going to be easy. Gohan had made a very big impact, who knows what's going to happen now?

* * *

" _The death count is over three thousand. Who was this…" "…terror in the streets, asking only…" "…must be millions of…" "…And no one knows who he…" "…golden figure. Yet there has…"_

"Will you stop that?!" Erasa cornered the other blonde.

They were in a small room, Sharpner's room. It was the closest.

Sharpner pressed once more on his remote, turning the TV off. All it had was news about the incident only twenty minutes ago. On every channel.

The people were wondering who this man was. The connection to the Delivery Boy was made in seconds.

They didn't need the news. They were there. They had seen, they had felt.

An unpleasant silence hung between them now.

At first they had been worried for their friend, especially after she just started running. But that soon changed.

Mr. Satan had not been available for comment. He had set out in a hurry, only minutes after the incident.

The man, who had convinced the world that it was all just a trick, had vanished the moment undeniable proof had come. He and Videl ran without hesitation.

There could only be one explanation. They knew. Those two had known all along.

And Gohan, Gohan, he was the Golden Fighter. And powerful beyond comparison.

* * *

Bulma was right about Chichi being worried. She got Gohan somewhere between a hug and a stranglehold, crying and scolding and smouldering all at once.

It was long into the night before anyone went to bed in the Son household.

Or Satan City in general. Many people were discussing the event well into the next morning.

All schools, jobs, everything had been closed. The only people still working were the T.V. crews, and they worked overtime.

Debates, discussions, analyzations, it was the only thing on everyone's mind.

Crowds had come up to the Satan Mansion, but found neither Hercule nor Videl at home. They were not there to answer their questions.

The return of the Delivery Boy had made them both disappear. Some said they were taken, killed or hostage, while others were convinced they were hiding from this person.

And by morning, many had come to the same conclusion.

It was no trick, no fakery.

It was a display of very real power.

This person had come to Earth for a reason yet unknown.

He was an Angel of Light, or the Golden God.

* * *

Videl peeked inside the building. It was an apartment, still under construction, which meant no people. After all, she didn't expect anyone to return to work just yet. Not after yesterday.

She had spent most of the night walking, trying to understand what had happened. But she could not. She could not explain it, or accept it. It kept going on in her head like a bad mantra.

Gohan was the Delivery Boy.

His powers were real.

He was at the Cell Games.

If Cell's power was fake, then he didn't have to show up. Or he would just have dealt with Cell and move on.

Nothing fitted.

Except for one.

Cells power was real too.

But her father did not have such powers.

Then how did he defeat Cell?

He hadn't.

But that couldn't be true. She did not want that to be true.

Her life was not a lie. Her father was not a phoney.

' _But then what is he?'_ She asked herself again. _'Who is he? Who am I?'_

Once again she tried to drive the thoughts from her head, knowing very well she'd be back at the same place in ten minutes, tops.

She was tired. The long day, horrific event, and sleepless night were adding up. She was so tired, and longed for a dreamless sleep.

This place was perfect. No one would come bother her, while she sorted herself out.

She spied left and right. No one in sight. So she ran to the fence surrounding the construction site, jumped and climbed over with a single smooth movement.

Whatever was fake, whatever was real, no matter what was going on, she still had one certainty.

She was strong. And she would make it through this, one way or the other.

* * *

Morning had passed into midday when Erasa woke up again. At first she was confused why she was still wearing her normal clothes, even more so at the fact that she was at Sharpner's place.

She stretched herself out a little. She had slept reasonably well, considering recent events. Such as Gohan turning out to be a God.

She looked down at the floor, where Sharpner slept. He had offered her his bed, and took the floor himself. She didn't really expect that one, as in her tired mind, she didn't think on it, and kind of assumed he'd be sleeping in the bed with her.

It would have been fine if he had though. He wasn't the person he pretended to be.

Most people would have thought he'd do something to her while she slept. Most people didn't know him.

His perverted attitude and skirt chasing were just that, an attitude. If that were the real him, he would never have two girls as his best friends.

' _Videl.'_ Erasa sighed. _'What have you done? Why did you do this to us? How could you?'_

She saw Sharpner open one eye.

"Ah, you're awake?" She asked.

"No." He replied in his usual jock manner.

Erasa just rolled her eyes, and found herself flopping back on her back.

"Do you think we should come forward?" Sharpner suddenly asked.

"Forward?" Erasa rolled over so she laid on her back on the very edge of the bed, and looked down at him. "About what?"

"Gohan." Sharpner looked up at her. "We're probably the only ones who know."

"Probably." She replied. "But why did he pretend to be Videl's friend? She was pretty hostile to him." Then she shot up a little. "Do you think she knew?"

"About Gohan?" He added. "I don't think so. Or she would have been long gone the day he rolled in."

"Gohan." She dropped down again. "I just can't believe he did that."

"I don't believe that was even possible." He added.

"But why?" Erasa asked the one question no one could answer.

"Do you think it has to do with that strange black thing in the air?" Sharpner suddenly realised. "He's all over the news, but not a word on what that was."

"Maybe they missed it?" She reasoned. "I only saw because I happened to be looking up." She sighed. "Maybe we should come forward." She then stated.

"But we don't even know why he came to our school at all." He then objected. "We don't know anything about him."

"Then what?!" She yelled in frustration.

He sighed, and opened his arms. "Come here." He said to her. She unceremoniously let herself roll off the bed and fall on top of him. It wasn't exactly what he had in mind, but he'd take it.

"It's ok." He embraced her. "I'm scared too."

"I just don't know what to do." Her muffled voice replied. "My best friend lied to me all along."

"It's ok." He repeated. "If we stick together, we'll be fine."

"But Gohan." She freed herself just enough to be able to look at his face. "What if he's angry with us?"

"We didn't know about the lies." He tried to reason.

"But what if no one believes us?" She continued.

Sharpner opened his mouth, and closed it again.

"We have been abusing her fame for years." She continued. "What if people think we were in on it all along?"

"We'll just have to explain we didn't know." He replied. "Maybe if we tell about Gohan, they'll believe us when we say we didn't know either." He gripped her a little tighter. "Hopefully."

Erasa just stared sideways blankly.

"Videl." She mumbled. "How could you?"

* * *

Evening was falling. Dinner had just been had. There was peace in the Son household. Chichi was understandingly upset about the whole thing, but at least she understood why he did it.

Gohan was outside, meditating, trying to get some peace of mind. Tomorrow he would go back, as school would be back on Thursday.

So far, no one knew his identity, which he was thankful for.

Until his little brother came running with bad news.

Bulma had called. ZTV had started up a special program, just like any other channel. Unlike them, they had something substantial. The identity of the Golden God.

It took Gohan a whole three seconds to reach his house. Going through the door he dropped out of his Ascended Super Saiyan. He was just in time to see his mother turn on the TV.

"…ing in a few moments." The voice sounded as Gohan wordlessly took place.

"Gohan." His mother called over. "Bulma said she did everything she could, including trying to buy out the company, but she couldn't stop them."

"I know." Gohan replied softly. He knew Bulma would never allow this to happen.

The scene changed to a room with three people. Gohan instantly recognised two of them.

"Welcome." The presenter greeted them. "Sorry for the mess, but we had to put it all together on short notice.

Nonetheless, we have people claiming to have learned the identity of our Golden God."

"I wish people would stop calling me that." Gohan complained. He got no answer.

"And we have the witnesses to back it all up." The man continued. "But first, a few words from two certain people. It was them who learned his name, and them who came to us. They are former friends of Videl Satan. Erasa and Sharpner."

The two teenagers came forward. Instead of the expected applause, boos and hauling was heard. The audience clearly didn't agree with them taking stage. It took the host a few tries to get them quiet again.

Sharpner raised his hand. "First, I would like to state that neither me nor Erasa, nor our families knew about the Satan Deception. We think it is disgusting what they have done, and they should pay for it all."

"A likely story." The host argued.

"If it wasn't true, we wouldn't be here, wouldn't we?" He then stated. "If we were in on it, wouldn't we have gone in hiding like those two as well?"

"Wasn't there a third one in your group?" The host then asked pointedly.

Sharpner and Erasa shared a glance. "Yes, there was." Erasa said. "Son Gohan."

"Where is he now?" The man asked.

"We don't know." Erasa admitted. "He vanished after the incident yesterday."

"So he fled as well?" The man concluded. "Was he aware of the lie? Some say he got in with Videl a little too quickly."

"Possibly." Sharpner replied. "He was likely aware, but I doubt he was in league with them."

"And why would that be?" The man continued. "How could he possibly have known about the Deception if he wasn't part of the conspiracy against the Golden God?"

Erasa looked at Sharpner again, and he nodded.

She took a deep breath.

"Because he is the Golden God."

…

"That guy?" The man asked. He was clearly having trouble believing that.

"We were there." Sharpner stated. "At the incident, we were with him. And we have other proof as well."

"Like what?"

"Ask our other classmates about him." Sharpner continued. "They'll tell you the same stories. First off, there are the three appearances of the Golden Fighter. The first and second one fall on the exact same days as Gohan's arrival to register and his entrance test. The third on his first day. Not to mention they were wearing the exact same clothes."

"And then there's his first day." Erasa continued. "During PE we played baseball, and he caught a ball by jumping eight meters in the air. And he stayed up there for a few seconds, floating, before coming down again."

"He took my cannon ball pitch straight in the face without even flinching." Sharpner switched in again. This was clearly rehearsed.

"He accidentally ripped off the door of his locker."

"He communes from really far away, out of the city."

"And he communes on a golden cloud. No one else can sit on it, just him."

Their host looked left to right. This was clearly not how things were supposed to go. Perhaps this was just a stunt to ridicule Videl's friends. That's certainly how it started.

Gohan had seen enough. If there was something important later, his mother would probably tell him. He walked out again, to fly away to a waterfall and cool his head.

Just two days ago he was starting to become a part of a group of four friends. Some begrudging, but they were starting to get along then.

But now those two had sold both of the other two out. In an effort to save themselves, they had condemned Videl and revealed Gohan.

The worst part? Gohan couldn't bring himself to be angry at them. They must be frightened and confused. Just trying to get by in a world suddenly turned hostile.

Gohan could read the signs. An anti-Satan purge would follow soon. He didn't particularly like Hercule, but he hoped he and Videl were someplace safe.

* * *

"And he communes on a golden cloud. No one else can sit on it, just him."

Videl's head was spinning. She was no longer listening, her mind shutting in.

Having the fact shoved into her face, she realised. Yes, the signs were there. They had always been there. And she was so close. So close to the truth. But she had closed her eyes, put her fingers in her ears and twisted what she knew to fit her view.

Her lie.

But that wasn't the worst of it. She already knew who Gohan was. The worst was at the start, where her two lifelong friends publicly denounced her.

The people she trusted the most, had turned their backs on her, without even hearing a word from her side.

She felt alone.

But this was not the time to sit around moping. The news was rapidly becoming more aggressive towards her and her father. Especially with a lack of a counterbalance to stop them.

Finally she understood the meaning of her father's phone call.

" _Get out of the city! Don't let anyone follow you! Don't take anyone with you! Just throw away your phone and run!"_

She unwrapped her wrist communicator, put it down on the ground, along with her cell phone and the capsule containing her recognisable jet copter.

Yes, she had to run. Before the angry mobs found her.

Or Gohan did.

* * *

 **End of Chapter**

* * *

And that's it for chapter 2. I hope it lived up to expectations.

I'm going a bit on the slow burn, things are going to spiral more and more as time goes on. That M rating isn't for lemons. Well, probably. Just don't count on it.

I thank Queenkeesie, once again, for beta-reading this chapter, as well as the previous one for me.


	3. Chapter 3, Madness

A/N:

Wow, a 100+ followers on two chapters? What is going on here? Am I being pranked?

Seriously, I did not expect this. I had hoped, of course, but I didn't actually expect it.

I'd like to thank the reviewers for making me go back to this chapter and patch a few things. Although this chapter was pretty much done already, I found I still had to make a few adjustments.

I'm only one person writing this, I make mistakes.

And I thank QueenKeesie for beta-reading.

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 **Madness**

* * *

It was evening. The street lights had already been turned on, and soon the sun will have set entirely.

Videl walked down the street, disguised as a boy in her freshly stolen clothes, eating the last of her burger. Black pants and a blue jacket, which she wore over her usual clothes, as well as a baseball cap to hide her face under. Her long black hair had been crudely cut short, in the hopes to blend in better.

Once done finished eating she threw the wrapper of her burger in the trash bin.

Two days ago she was worth literal billions. Now she had to steal her clothes and food. She wasn't proud of it, but she was happy she pulled it off without being noticed.

She was headed towards her home. So far, the plan was to take one of her father's jets and fly herself to West City or something.

So set and certain she was of herself, she never stopped to consider one point.

She was still a few blocks away when she heard it. Shouting. Rioting. Sirens. Something was amiss. She started running. Only a block away, and an orange blaze was reflected off of the surrounding buildings.

Her belongings, her place, her home, it had been set ablaze. The crowds cheered as a small part of the massive mansion collapsed.

Fire-fighters were there, but they did nothing. Nothing but cheer alongside the crowd. The police was on the front, not even trying to keep the unruly riot under control.

She wavered on her legs, but remained standing. Yet another piece was ripped out of her.

More people were running towards the burning mansion. Some looked weirdly at the strange boy running in the opposite direction, but paid him no heed.

* * *

In a certain house, on a small island in the middle of the ocean, Krillin was on the phone with Bulma.

"I see." Krillin said in acknowledgement. "That does explain a lot. Don't worry, we're not about to do anything rash. Last thing the world needs right now is learning there are more people like Gohan."

"Yeah." Bulma replied. "The world is pretty much in shock right now. Maybe, when things have calmed down, we can slowly easy everyone into the knowledge of energy."

* * *

Considering all that happened, Gohan had slept rather well. He woke early in the morning and went to sit outside, watching the rising sun, wondering what to do.

Go to school? He had no idea what everyone's reaction would be. Not go to school? He knew how his mother would react.

No, he had to do something. People were running around, claiming he was a God. It probably wasn't all that serious, but if he didn't appear soon, they would show up at his doorstep. And then there would be no stopping it.

So he made up his mind. He would just go to school, and pretend nothing happened.

And thus a few minutes later he found himself speeding over Satan City. For a second he wondered if it was going to be renamed again.

Then his school came into view. And the street before it looked black with people. Every single reporter, journalist and cameraman of the entire city had gathered there.

Probably looking for a scoop about the Golden God. Gohan grimaced, and sped to the roof.

It was left empty, for some reason. Seriously though, they knew he could fly, what did they expect? Then again, maybe they weren't allowed in.

Several flashes went off below him, as the news crews obviously got sight of him.

Gohan shrugged it off, and landed. He checked his watch. If he casually strolled to his classroom, he'd easily be on time.

So he did.

Walking down the stairs, he passed several people, who didn't recognise him.

Thankfully.

Unfortunately, it didn't last long. When Gohan got to the floor his classroom was on, he passed by two students, a boy and a girl, who were leaning close and speaking softly to each other.

Until the boy looked at him. At first he looked back to his girl, and did a double take, this time with eyes so wide they nearly popped out. Then he shut his eyes, folded his hands and bowed his head.

' _Is he worshipping me?'_ Gohan asked himself, so shocked he was frozen in place.

The girl, annoyed to lose the interest of her boy so suddenly, turned to look at him, and promptly made the same pose.

Gohan stepped away quickly. But now others had noticed, and were praying to him as he passed. As such, they didn't see the incredibly uncomfortable look on Gohan's face.

He speed walked down the hall, got to his classroom and entered immediately, away from the worshipping crowd.

Inside it was noisy. He clearly heard Angela, surrounded by half the class, talk loudly.

But as more eyes were drawn to his figure, the voices dimmed, until Angela noticed she was the only one talking.

"I thought he was going to see Videl." She continued, obviously talking about their date. "But now I realise he was about to use his godly powers to…" Her voice had steadily grown quieter, and trailed off completely when she noticed no one was listening anymore.

Gohan grinned awkwardly. _'I really should not have come.'_ He realised.

But he was here now, and running off would only make things worse, so he walked up the stairs, to the place he used to sit. There he saw two people, and two only. Everyone had cleared a large circle around them, clearly not wanting to get close.

Said two people, Erasa and Sharpner, were looking down, avoiding his eye.

Nonetheless, he sat down next to Erasa.

"Hey." He greeted them, the only sound in the room.

"Hello." Erasa looked sideways. He could tell she was frightened, it was so obvious even if he couldn't sense her energy.

There were several words written on her desk, as well as Sharpner's next to her. All of them insulting.

"I'm sorry." She then stammered. "I swear, we didn't know."

"I knew that already." Gohan stated evenly. "I'm not angry."

"You're not?" She finally looked up at him.

"Of course not." Gohan made sure to reply happily. "If I was angry, I wouldn't be sitting here, would I?"

"I guess not." Erasa admitted, sounding a lot better. Sharpner next to her let out a sigh of relief.

"So where's Videl?" He then asked.

"No one knows." Sharpner replied bitterly. "She and her father disappeared. I guess you scared them off."

"But why?" Gohan didn't understand what he meant. Surely Videl would understand he wasn't here to take revenge. Right?

"She and her father had been robbing and deceiving us for years!" Erasa stated harshly. "I thought I was her friend, but she was just using me. Just like everyone else. But when… well…" She trailed off.

"Then you returned." Sharpner continued. "And shown us the light. They must have ran off in fear. Good riddance!"

Gohan had to take a moment to process that. Videl was hiding from him? What was she thinking? If he wanted revenge, he could have taken it on his first day. Hell, he could have taken it seven years ago, when Hercule made his claim.

He didn't. Didn't they understand he never wanted this?

Clearly not.

Gohan wanted to ask something, when he noticed the clear silence around them. While he was talking, the teacher had came in, and the students taken their places.

But the teacher hadn't called out to him. No, he was patiently waiting for Gohan to finish.

Gohan looked at him for a moment, expected to be scolded. But no. The teacher looked around, seemingly unsure of what to do.

When Gohan didn't keep talking, he finally said something.

"Good morning students." He said. "And your Divinity." He bowed to Gohan.

"Please don't…" Gohan started. "Just… pretend I'm not here, ok?"

"Well." The man most certainly didn't expect that one. "Ok."

Thus he began his lecture about… something. Gohan didn't pay attention. He was lost in thought. _'Do they actually believe I'm a god?'_ He asked himself. _'I thought that was just an expression.'_

He glanced around. Everyone was making a point of looking forward, something which never happened. _'Were they really… worshipping me? Like, literally?'_

He sighed, and looked at the empty chair next to him. As much as this whole thing affected him, it would affect her more. So he calmed his mind, and focused, find Videl's energy. But Satan City was vast.

"Excuse me." He heard Erasa softly to his side. "Is there something wrong?" She asked him.

"Not really." Gohan guessed his deep focus must have shown. "I'm just looking for Videl." He answered.

"Looking for her?" Sharpner overheard. Judging from his tone, he really wanted to ask, but didn't dare to.

"I can sense an individual's life source, so to speak." Gohan abridged. "Videl is strong; I should be able to sense her clearly. But Satan City has millions of people. I guess she's just too far away, and drowned out in the collective presence." Gohan rambled, more to himself that to the other two.

"You can sense life?" Erasa repeated, completely flabbergasted.

"Well, yeah." Gohan replied, somewhat shyly. He really hoped they wouldn't ask for details on that one, it would be really hard to explain.

"And you're searching for Videl?" Sharpner asked him. "Is it so you can… take care of her yourself?"

"What?!" He needed a moment just to comprehend what the other just said. "No!" He replied, repulsed by the idea.

And again it was eerily silent. All eyes were on him again.

"I am not going to take revenge or anything." Gohan stated, more to the rest of the class than to the other two. "I'm not here for revenge. I'm just here for a normal life. But I guess that went out of the window when the attack happened." He started trailing off a little, feeling a bit down.

"The attack?" Erasa repeated, surprised. "What… attack?"

"Two days ago." Gohan replied. "Don't you remember? You just collapsed."

Erasa looked back at Sharpner. He was the one who spoke. "No one really knows what happened." He said carefully.

"You don't know?" Gohan asked. He looked around, but only saw questioning looks.

Sharpner shook his head. "No one knows. For all we know, we were walking down the street when you... well... had your episode. There's a lot of speculation, but no one knows anything."

"I see." Gohan mentally slapped himself. Of course no one knows what had been on. He went into a freaking Super Saiyan in the middle of the city and left without saying a word.

For a moment he wondered what to say.

"Nobody knows?" He asked again. When no one replied he nodded to himself. "Alright then." He said. "Do you remember, two days ago, that you suddenly felt tired?" He asked. Though he only asked Erasa and Sharpner, the entire class was nodding in perfect synchronisation.

"Basically, that was your lives being drained away." He continued. "I don't know how or why, but there was a spacecraft high in the air, sucking out the lives of the entire city."

A few gasps were heard, and Erasa went pale with horror.

"I compensated using my own, well, life source, and managed to overpower them." He grinned shyly at all the attention. "That's basically it." He finished.

"That's it?" Sharpner asked with clear doubt ringing in his voice. Then he quickly looked down. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"It's fine." Gohan cut him off. "Did you want to ask something?"

"Well." The blonde jock hesitated for a moment. "You said you stopped them from draining our lives, but how did you even know they were doing that?"

"You can hear sound and see light, can't you?" Gohan asked him. "Just like that, I can sense your life source. When I felt all of the people around me suddenly dropping, I knew something was wrong."

"Then it wasn't you who made everyone tired?" Someone else asked.

"No." Gohan shook his head. "I just prevented it from getting worse."

It was quiet for a few seconds. Then someone else stood up. "I'm wondering, what would have happened if you didn't do anything?" He asked, probably voicing what everyone was thinking.

"Then everyone in the city would have died." Gohan stated calmly.

Once again it was quiet, but now there was awe, and admiring looks.

Erasa was the one who broke it again. "You said you compensated for the drain." She started. "How did you do that?"

"Easy." Gohan replied. "I used my own to replenish everyone else's, and clog up the system. Then I overcharged them by forcefully pushing it all down, until they couldn't take it anymore."

"From your own life source?" She noted, at which he gave a small nod. "Doesn't that, you know, cut your own life span?" She then asked, sounding worried.

"Not at all." He replied, smiling a little at her concern. "It's not dangerous unless I spend everything. And I still had most left at the end." He started trailing again, his mind wandering off. _'Sharpner mentioned speculations. What rumours have been going around?'_

"Sharpner." He addressed him so suddenly that the jock nearly jumped out of his skin. "What kind of rumours are going around about me?"

"You didn't follow the news?" He got asked in return.

"No, I've been busy." Gohan replied. True, kinda.

"Well, the err… most popular one is err… the vengeful god. It's a group of devotees who say you came back to take revenge for following Hercule Satan." Sharpner started talking fast, not really willing to say it, but not really daring not to say it either.

"A group of devotees?" Gohan repeated. "There is a group of people devoting themselves to me? Come to think of it, there were people praying to me too when I walked by." Gohan remembered. "Do they honestly believe that I'm a god or something?" He wondered out loud.

"Well, yeah." Erasa replied uneasily, though much less than before. "You mean you're not?"

"Of course not!" Gohan answered with a little more frustration than he intended. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was getting complicated.

"I think I'll go and try to figure things out, and clear my head a little." He said as he stood up, and shoved his books back in his bag. "I'll be back tomorrow. I think."

He started to walk down the stairs, but thought the better of it. Everyone already knew anyway, so whatever.

He opened a window and flew himself out, towards the lookout. He could use a little alone time for meditation.

Behind him, most people watched on awe as he engulfed in blue flames and shot away.

All but two, the ones who saw him two days ago.

"What do you think he meant by that?" Sharpner asked Erasa.

"Probably that's he's not in his God-form or something." Erasa speculated. "I mean, he's not glowing golden right now either, is he?"

Sharpner nodded to himself. "You're probably right." He looked down, and then smiled to himself. "You know, even with everything that happened, he's still kind off the same person. Somehow, he is still the shy and awkward but kind Gohan we have known."

Erasa didn't answer, instead she just smiled to herself as she nodded slowly.

Now, with Gohan gone, the atmosphere changed, and the tenseness that hung in the air deflated like a balloon.

"Aright people!" The teacher called for their attention. "I think I'm giving you the class off. And the rest of the day too. I need to lay down for a bit." He added, rubbing his forehead. "Just, err… spread the news, I guess."

So they would. There was still a fairly large group of news reporters waiting outside.

* * *

Gohan spend the day at the Lookout, mostly in the Time Chamber, though with the door open to prevent time from flowing differently.

The white void helped him clear his mind.

In the evening, long after he had gotten home, he got a call from Bulma. His classmates, mostly Sharpner and Erasa, had spread his story, and it was now widely accepted, though somehow the aliens got replaced by demons.

Gohan didn't really care. It might as well have been. It was not important.

However, the group of devotees, which now called themselves the Golden Cult, really subtle, was spreading a tale of vengeance. That after seven years, the Golden God had returned to his planet in need, and found they had forsaken him. They had fallen under the lies of Satan. Videl's family name did not help at all in that matter.

And the demons were sent by them, as an effort to keep everyone under their rule, or something.

But at least he was no longer the wrathful God who unleashed his divine power on the city for no other reason than to show his anger at the Satan family. It was something.

There was more though. People were rapidly gathering evidence of past energy users. One in particular got a lot of attention.

Vegeta and Nappa's landing in, and destruction of, East City. Though the link to Gohan wasn't made just yet, or to Vegeta, for that matter, it was compared to Gohan's 'Revelation' a few days ago.

It was used as an example of what Gohan was capable of. Luckily, him not doing so, and instead protecting Satan City was attributed to mercy, and used as a call to devote oneself to him.

And many did.

Luckily, there were also people speaking against those people. Most noticeably, a certain man speaking against the zealots and worshippers. He kept claiming Gohan was not a god, merely an energy user, one of the many. His proof? He had seen the use of energy many times he hosted the World Martial Arts Tournament.

But his voice was drowned out in the many who screamed otherwise, and claimed him to be a heretic.

Just like before, when he spoke against Hercule, his voice was silenced.

* * *

Erasa looked at what was left of her locker. Someone had obviously broken it open, and ruined the insides. And she knew this one was targeted at her, because all the other ones were left intact.

Luckily she had followed Sharpner's advice and cleared it out just yesterday.

"Ah, yours as well." She heard Sharpner say from behind.

Erasa sighed. "Well, I brought a big bag, so I guess I'll just keep everything with me from now on?"

Sharpner gripped her shoulder from behind. "It's alright, they'll quit when they realise Gohan isn't angry."

"He isn't angry at Hercule either." Erasa added. "I have been thinking, what _does_ he want?"

"Maybe just a life?" Sharpner suggested. "By the way, how are your parents taking it?"

"They were pretty pissed at me for not calling." Erasa replied. "They said they suffer a bit of harassment because I was friends with Videl. Not much though. But I guess they were just worried."

"Well, my father called, and said he always knew there was something wrong with those Satans." Sharpner told her.

Erasa chuckled. "The same guy that told everyone you were the most likely to marry Videl?" She asked. "And was proud to be associated with Hercule?"

"Yep." Sharpner grinned. "So imagine how much I cared for his speech."

"How did he take you personally knowing the Golden God?" Erasa then asked.

"I think he had a heart attack." Sharpner laughed.

"My mother didn't like it at all." Erasa replied seriously. "She and dad tried to get me transferred. I refused of course. They said that being that close to him was dangerous. I said living in this city was dangerous, now that Gohan had revealed himself. She called me stupid. I called her stupid. I was right though."

"About Gohan or her being stupid?" Sharpner was a little lost.

"Both." She said arrogantly. "I meant Gohan though. I wonder, just how powerful is he?"

"I don't know." Sharpner replied. "You think he minds if we ask?"

Erasa avoided his eye. "I don't know." She admitted. "I don't know what to make of him anymore. I thought he'd be angry at Videl and her father, but he's not. But why not? They lied to everyone. They thought they could get away with stealing from Gohan. So why isn't he angry?"

"I don't know." He said once again. "We don't know anything about him. I thought he'd want us to take vengeance on his behalf, give us a chance to right our wrongs. But now we know he was never angry to begin with. And it made me think his night. Did we do the right thing, telling the media?"

"That bitch had it coming!" Erasa's fear turned to anger. "She lied! She lied to everyone! Even us." She added sorrowfully. "Why did she lie to me?" She now asked, instead of angry, it sounded pleading. "Did she know?" She suddenly questioned. "Did Hercule let her in on it, or did he keep it even from his own daughter?"

"Or course she was in on it." Shapner stated, almost as if to convince himself.

"She was ten." Erasa had started doubting herself. "Do you really think she could have kept such a lie that perfectly for seven years?" She asked to herself rather than Sharpner.

"Didn't we go public because we thought she did?" He asked, also more to himself than to the other.

"You know we only did that because we thought we had to appease Gohan." Erasa returned.

He fell silent. She was right. In an effort to try to keep the Golden God on their side, they sold out their long time friend.

Only to find out Gohan never wanted any of this. And now, with his identity on the streets, Gohan could no longer keep a low profile.

And it was remarkable to see how the fear of the Golden God and the hatred of the Satans seem to go hand in hand. Even the two of them had not been immune to this.

Sharpner shook his head. They should never have spoken up.

* * *

Friday morning. Still not a whisper of Hercule or Videl. Which Gohan took as good news, as they must be somewhere safe, and out of view. Though he did regret not being able to explain to the public he wasn't angry at them.

But things go as they go.

He made his way to Orange Star High again, soaring through the clouds. He smiled to himself. There was one good thing out of all of this. At least he could fly around without a worry.

Until he caught the sound of gunfire, that is. And he was barely on time as it was.

' _Oh, you've got to be kidding me.'_ Gohan sighed to himself, almost reaching for his Saiyaman costume.

No wait, there was a faster way. He turned Super, and dropped down into the street.

The thugs who were laughing and firing in all directions, all dropped to their knees at the sight of his golden figure.

"I'm late enough as it is, so if you could go turn yourselves in, that would be really nice." Gohan said to them.

"Yes, my Lord, thank you for your mercy." One replied, as everyone throw their weapons away, and raised their hands in collective surrender.

Gohan just shook his head, but he had somewhere to be. He dropped out of his elevated state and flew off again.

And another setback. Unlike yesterday, the roof of the school was not empty today. No paparazzi though, they were all gathered at the gate, somehow even more than yesterday, held back by police officers.

The people on the roof were all students as well as two teachers.

A gasp went trough the crowd as Gohan came closer. He recognised several of his classmates, as well as his homeroom teacher.

Not really wanting a repeat of yesterday, he let himself fall past the roof, and tried the window of his classroom. It was left unlocked, so he simply flew in and closed it behind himself.

Gohan slowly levitated down, and set on the stone with a soft tap. Clearly audible, as there hung a dead silence.

"Good morning Gohan." Erasa greeted him cheerfully.

"Good morning." He echoed as he took his place. "Did you unlock the window?"

"Yeah, I did." She grinned.

"Thanks for that." Gohan grinned back. "The roof was a tad busy."

"I figured as much." She replied.

Thus the day started. And went on. The teachers were a bit stiff, and his classmates a little quiet. But Gohan didn't expect otherwise. They were going to have to get used to it. Just as much as Gohan had to get used to his power being common knowledge.

Yet he couldn't help but be worried about Videl. Many times his eyes went over to the empty chair in their row.

* * *

Through the backstreets near the outskirts of the city, Videl was making her way towards the edge. She had been wandering around aimlessly for some time, wondering what to do. She hadn't slept since yesterday morning, when builders returned to the construction site.

She was tired. And hungry. More than once had her mind gone back to that stack of pancakes she left on the table, in the morning of that fateful day.

Yesterday she had tried to hitch a ride. But she was recognised. She had to run.

No one could be trusted. All she had left was her own strength.

But it would be enough. When all else failed she could always depend on herself.

She glanced around. _'Where to go?'_ She knew the warehouse district was in this general direction.

She needed something to eat. And to drink. And a place to rest.

Money. She needed money. She, multi billionaire, needed pocket change to survive.

If her friends could see her now. Well, former friends. As it turns out, they were only there for her fame and money as well. Just like all the others. The moment she lost her… everything, they dropped her like trash and moved on to their new idol.

The Golden God.

Son Gohan.

"Repent ye unfaithful!" Someone yelled down the street. "After seven years our _God_ has _returned_ to us, and he is **merciful**! He has _saved_ _us_ from the **Satans**! And from _**ourselves**_!"

' _Good Kami, he's obnoxious.'_ She thought in annoyance.

"So repent! Throw off the _chains_ of the _lies_ of those that sought to pull you down to their domain, _**the**_ _**Satans**_!"

' _I'm still human, thank you very much.'_

" _Kneel_ before the great **Golden** _**God**_! And cleanse yourself in his _revealing_ _**light**_! Repent ye unfaithful! After seven…"

' _Good grief, he's on repeat.'_ Videl reflected, already tuning out the crying voice.

' _Son Gohan.'_ Her mind returned to the boy. He wasn't exactly what she called a friend, she wouldn't let him, but he had still become part of their group. But why? Why would a being like that pretend to be human, and even play nice to her?

She, the one who flaunted her privileges in his face, and he never said a word. He knew all along, but he endured her assault on his person. He most definitely had the power to stop it. So why didn't he?

"…great **Golden** _ **God**_!"

' _Oh shut up!'_

* * *

The day passed. Gohan was left in relative peace. Whether people respected his privacy or were simply scared of him, he didn't know. Perhaps a little of both.

At least Erasa and Sharpner were doing their best to act normal. Or at least pretend things were the way they were before.

It was obvious they were pretending. Erasa was a little too cheery, and Sharpner a bit quiet. They were also a lot more respectful to him than they were before.

And the atmosphere remained pressing.

Gohan was playing with the thought to just give up school. He didn't come here for an education. He came to socialise, and to get to know people who weren't already part of his father's circle.

But now that was pretty much shot. Perhaps even the two blondes were only with him because they felt obliged to do so.

Ah well, it was Friday. Perhaps the city would calm down during the weekend?

He'd come Monday, and see how things went one last time.

* * *

 **End of Chapter**

* * *

I hope I didn't disappoint. I'm feeling just a tad pressured here. :)

As you can see, I'm turning up the religious themes. Of course, it's not called the Golden God for no reason.

Fun fact: For those who have played Skyrim, I based the town crier on the Talos worshipper in Whiterun. Try reading that part again and not hear his voice.


	4. Chapter 4, Fury

A/N:

Aaaand this just became my most popular story. Not that much of a milestone, but still.

I just hope I don't lose too many people with this chapter. It's a little dark.

This last week I have been thinking a lot about what Genres I should put this under. I decided not to give it any, since all of them get touched upon. Expect poetry, probably.

Yes, even humour, a little bit. Though more in the form of characters pointing out how stupid something actually is, characters wondered just what is going on or just plain action/reaction events, rather than outright jokes.

I'll answer two reviewers, one I did reply to in a PM, but I thought I'd share it.

 **To lancecomwar:**

Ah, don't sell yourself short like that. But yes, I did read The Truth Hurts a while back. It is actually one of the better ones I've read of this kind.

I just happen to focus more on the world learning about Gohan's power, with exposing Hercule being hardly more than a side effect, which is what most others focus on.

And I tried to give it a realistic take.

And then tuned it all down, because a nuclear war wasn't really what I was aiming for.

 **To the anonymous reviewer:**

Why didn't Gohan call a press conference?

The answer is easy. He didn't think of it.

Why didn't he think of it?

Well, that's something that happened to be discussed in this chapter.

And don't worry about it getting repetitive. Things are about to happen.

Though I did alter quite a few things afterwards, most of this chapter already existed before I uploaded even the first chapter. I know I just said I usually write ahead, but I do consider suggestions made in the reviews. Hell, there's hardly a chapter uploaded that I didn't edit the day before.

Like I said, I forget things, or make mistakes.

* * *

 **Warning; this is where the M rating starts to apply. Contains shocking events. Last chance to turn back.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 **Fury**

* * *

The weekend flew by. Gohan spent most of it training and meditating. He also made sure to keep up to date with news from Satan City.

By the way, it was renamed Golden City just Saturday, presumably in his honour. At least it wasn't Gohan-ville or something.

And Sunday he discovered a pilgrimage to his home. Seriously? This was getting out of hand. The pilgrims almost disappeared in a dinosaur's belly. Being on a holy quest, they did not bring any weapons.

Gohan only noticed them by chance. He made it very clear that he did not want people to come looking for him in his home. He wasn't sure how well the message would be spread, but it was a start.

And the news wasn't all that good. Suicide and homicide rates had risen dramatically. Public services, especially the Golden City Police Department and Fire Department, were becoming rapidly understaffed, as people quit one after the other.

Erasa had made an appearance on TV, telling everyone that Gohan was not looking for vengeance against Hercule Satan. This of course was twisted into their Golden God wanting to have the people do justice upon him and his daughter. But Gohan appreciated her for at least trying.

King Furry had been asked to make a statement, but the man refused. He said he did have a personal opinion, but it as King of the World, it would be unwise of him to voice it.

Gohan also learned Hercule had truly vanished without a trace, despite the police now actively hunting for him and Videl. They found Videl's phone, wristband and jet-copter-capsule, but didn't learn where she had gone either.

Videl had been spotted twice. Once on Thursday, and on Saturday, but disappeared before she could be confronted. But she was still in the city.

Gohan had done a few rounds over the city, something that did not escape the notice of its people, but he didn't find her. Videl's energy might stand way above that of the average person, but the city was vast, and densely populated.

From more than a block away even she was drowned out by the masses.

He feared for the worst. In a matter of days public opinion had turned against them, and people were even calling for their heads.

Luckily, Krillin also noticed the announcements. On Sunday evening he, Eighteen and Marron came for a visit.

"How are you doing?" Krillin asked Gohan, as the two of them sat in the grass before the house. Chichi and Eighteen were sitting at the table a small distance away, having their own conversation. Goten was off doing who knows what. Marron was with the two men, and busy scaling Mt. Gohan because she decided she wanted to play with his springy hair.

"Pretty good, I guess." Gohan replied, holding up one arm to prevent the three year old from falling. "I discovered some people making a pilgrimage to my home just this morning. They almost got eaten."

"Some people don't think ahead." Krillin shook his head. "You'd be surprised how many times we ran into that problem in the past. But don't worry, it'll turn out. Once the world gets to know you a little, they'll realise this isn't what you want."

"That's a little optimistic." Gohan countered. "And I was just finally starting to enjoy my normal life." He complained. He held out his other arm as a foothold for the little girl.

"Gohan." The small man sighed, as he bowed his head slightly and laughed a little. "Between Saiyaman, your perfect grades, being blackmailed into a date and whatever was going on with you and Videl, there was nothing normal about that life of yours."

"Probably." Gohan laughed. "But I still liked it. To bad I won't be able to go back." He added, a little sadly.

"What are you talking about?" Krillin frowned at him.

"It just won't be the same." Gohan complained some more.

"It doesn't have to be." Krillin replied. "Now people are starting to get to know the real you. Not the person you were pretending to be, nor the deity they claim you are now. The real you. Just give them a little time."

Gohan nodded. "Yeah, I thought I'd keep my head low, for now. The world pretty much learned overnight that energy is real and their idol lied to them. It's a pretty big shock."

"No kidding, It's the only thing on everyone's lips these days." Krillin agreed. "You should have seen the reactions of the people at the old tournaments. Talk about being shocked. Especially when Piccolo showed up."

"I suppose that's true." Gohan felt a bit better, realizing that his father had gone through something similar. Granted it was nothing like this, but it did help. "I guess it'll calm down after a while. Once people are getting used to my existence I could try to explain I'm not actually a God. I mean, if I do that now, it'll just bring more confusion." He started thinking out loud.

"Don't worry Gohan. I'm sure people will come around." Krillin reassured. "Those on the media are just the loudest ones. There are plenty of people who don't believe. I mean, I saw the announcer of the old tournaments try to persuade people that energy has existed all along."

"I don't really watch all that much TV, so I guess I missed it." Gohan replied, happy to hear not the _entire_ world was worshipping him.

The two men sat there for a moment, then Gohan realized something.

"By the way, what are the rest of you guys going to do?" He asked. It wasn't like he was completely alone in this.

"Tien, Vegeta and I were already keeping mostly to ourselves, so we're just fine." Krillin started. "Yamcha was recognised to be of the people in the Cell Games. To be fair, he probably already had been recognised a long time ago, and people just kept silent about it, but that's not the point. But now the media learned, and he pretty much left the city."

"Ouch..." Gohan said, feeling a bit guilty "Where'd he go?"

"He moved in with us." Krillin replied. "Until Master Roshi kicked him out, that is. I think he's now back in his old place in the desert. Hopefully he doesn't fall back into his _old habits_ too." He joked, and Gohan laughed with him.

From the side, Chichi was watching the two. Seeing Gohan laugh wholeheartedly made her own heart soar again. Once again, another great burden had been thrust upon that boy, one he did not want to carry at all.

Though there seemed to be something nagging Eighteen. "I don't understand what the commotion is about." She stated to Chichi. "Why are they making such a hassle about Gohan and the others having powers? It's not like they actually abused them ever."

Chichi just kept looking over at the two men. Marron was still busy climbing Gohan, while standing on his arm. He decided to pull his arm from underneath her, making her fall back.

Right into his other arm. She giggled with glee, and some more when Gohan tickled her.

Eighteen smiled as she watched as well.

"They fear him, because they don't understand who he is." Chichi stated. "His power is the only thing they know. They don't see this side of him."

* * *

Videl had huddled herself in her jacket, having remained here for the night, hidden away in a quiet part of Satan City.

No, scratch that, Golden City. Even when she thought there was nothing left to take, they found something. As of yesterday, her family name was officially crossed from the records.

Her father's championship? Gone.

Their charity programs? Picked clean.

Her actions working for the police? Swept under the rug.

The city was even in the process of creating a special permit to allow businesses and organizations to do a direct name transfer from 'Satan' to 'Golden' free of charge.

She hugged her knees, resting her head on her arms. She was tired, so tired.

And hungry, not having eaten since last Thursday.

It was nasty, hunger. She didn't even remember being hungry. Any time she felt like eating a snack she could just order one.

But at least this place has running water. It was more than she had yesterday.

It was going to rain tonight, she would have to look for shelter.

If only that Golden Figure would stop flying around. Twice he had appeared overhead, and Videl thought she had been caught.

* * *

Erasa walked herself to her classroom, hoping furiously that Gohan would be there. Though her little talk on TV didn't work out the way she had in mind, something else had happened. She had been offered to voice Gohan's words to the world.

Inside she came eye to eye with Sharpner, who looked at her with a disapproving glance. She had been so happy, but he had told her to deny the offer. He figured if Gohan wanted something said, he'd say it himself.

But Erasa found he did not like being on camera, he avoided it even, so anything he said was passed down second hand. Which was rapidly becoming less dependable.

Sharpner disagreed. If Gohan wanted someone to speak for him, he'd appoint someone. Besides, he pointed out that they were also friends of Videl Satan. Anything that looked like them trying to become more famous would surely be suspicious.

But she was not!

' _Are you not?'_ Her memory recalled his voice. _'Are you really not?'_

She was doing this for Gohan. The added fame was just a nice extra. So she told herself.

She sat down in silence, leaving two empty ones between her and Sharpner. Gohan wasn't here yet, but he had a habit of arriving only just on time.

Erasa looked at Sharpner again. The guy who stood by her through all of this, never showing his own pain or confusion.

Must be a guy thing. She knew he had been hurting just as much as she was.

Even if he was wrong, she knew he only had her best interest at heart. _'If we are going to disagree, then fine, but I am not willing to fight over it.'_ She told herself. _'Besides, if Gohan says no, I won't push it.'_

Having made up her mind, she nodded to herself. This week was already better than last week, and it was only Monday morning. To be fair, there was no damage to her new locker, though that might be because they didn't know where it was yet, and no insults at their usual place either, though it was also Gohan's place.

Thinking of which, where is he? Erasa looked at her phone. It was almost time. Almost everyone was already here. Well, everyone who was still going to come anyway. She had overheard a few teachers talking about parents moving their children to a different classroom, of different school altogether. But of everyone still in this class, all were here.

All but him.

Well, he's the Golden God, if he wants to ditch, who's going to stop him?

Ah, but it looked like he didn't. Judging from the slight commotion, Gohan came walking down the hall.

Which was probably why he was even later today.

And true enough, the Golden God himself, in human from, came walking in.

He made his customary wave to the other students, and sat down next to her.

"Good morning." Erasa made sure to sound upbeat, repressing the slight feeling of dread that still lingered. "Had a nice weekend?"

Gohan sighed. "It was ok." It was most definitely not ok. But it was not her place to ask.

Erasa was eager to ask him her one question, but wasn't sure if this was the right time.

' _Screw it.'_ She told herself. _'There won't be a right time.'_

She glanced over at Sharpner, who shook his head, and made her wonder why she glanced over to him in the first place.

"Hey Gohan?" She started. He looked up to her with those dark eyes of his. Dark eyes, holding unimaginable power and wisdom. "Did you see my err… talk on TV this weekend?" She started, just to start somewhere.

"I did, actually." Gohan replied, much to her relief. "Too bad they had to twist your words like that."

"Yeah, but at least it was something." Erasa nodded. "Afterwards, they asked me to come by every now and again, to tell the world what you say."

"What?" Gohan looked up in surprise. He glanced over at Sharpner, who had his eyes set forward, but was clearly listening in. "My words?" He then asked.

"Yes." Erasa was starting to feel nervous now, but there was no going back. "I know you don't like making TV appearances, so maybe you could have someone to do that for you?" She said, not really putting emphasis on how much she wanted to be that someone.

"But I just don't have anything to say." He replied. "Besides, you saw what happened when you tried it, they twisted my words into something that fits their world view."

"Yeah, but…" She was rapidly looking for an argument. "That was because no one knows what you want. If someone makes regular appearances, they'll stop doing that."

"I seriously doubt that." Gohan replied. "Besides, I really don't want to be in the spotlight, or have someone do it for me."

"But it would make things so much easier for us if we actually knew what it is you want." Erasa stated. It wasn't as much an argument as her own fear and frustration bubbling up. "Please, just consider it, ok?" She pleaded.

Gohan closed his eyes, and sighed. "Fine, I'll think about it." He stated.

And with that, the conversation was over. Erasa turned her attention forward, where the teacher had begun his lecture, ignoring the talking duo.

Well, that was one perk, and something even Videl didn't have.

She looked over at Sharpner again, but he just had a neutral expression.

Erasa clenched her jaw. Just because they disagreed doesn't mean she didn't want to talk to him. What was his problem? Why is he acting so strongly over such a little thing?

She took a deep breath. This lunch they would have a long talk about that, and she was going to convince him she was right.

But it wouldn't come that far.

* * *

About two hours later, high above the Earth, the two Namekians were standing on the edge, looking down.

"Is there something the matter?" Piccolo asked Dende, even though he knew what was troubling new Kami.

"I just picked up something." Dende replied. "I just thought… isn't that…?" He cut himself off twice, focusing on a specific place on the planet.

"I think so." Piccolo nodded, having followed his gaze. "But you know not allowed to intervene."

"Maybe not, but Gohan is."

* * *

It was in the middle of history.

Gohan suddenly snapped up, looking at the roof. The movement had been abrupt that several other students immediately noticed, and the teacher adeptly stopped talking.

His expression was serious.

"It there something wrong?" Erasa asked respectfully.

"Hold on, I'm just…" He seemed to be distracted for some reason. "Talking to Kami." He then stated.

' _Wait what?'_ Erasa wondered in her mind. _'Kami?'_ Sure, she believed him if he said so, but what was going on?

"What?!" He suddenly said as stood up, his voice laced with anger, his expression hardened even more, and there was even a cold fury in his eyes.

Something was seriously wrong.

Then, without warning, a flash of gold blinded everyone present.

A burning fire ignited within her chest. The calm and collected Gohan was replaced by a golden figure, glowing brightly, his teal eyes cold yet furious. Actual lighting crackled around his body.

He had taken on his Godly form.

The chair underneath him had been reduced to dust, and his desk ripped to pieces.

He levitated away, slowly at first, even opening the window to let himself out, but then shot away with such force it shattered every window on that side of the building, leaving a trail of gold behind.

* * *

A little earlier.

How could this have happened? She, Videl Satan, caught like a chump.

This was supposed to an empty warehouse. She had sought refuge here against the rain. She hadn't meant to spend the night here, but she was just so tired.

She had laid down for a moment, having taken off her jeans to lay her head down on something slightly more comfortable than the ground, and used her jacket as a blanket.

Come morning, she had been woken by several voices. She spied around the corner. These were no workers, but criminals, armed and dangerous, carrying the price of their latest activities. At first she wanted to jump them, but decided not to.

What was the point? Kicking their asses won't help her. If anything, it would expose her.

So she tried to keep hidden, but they saw her. And then recognised her.

They shot her in her legs the moment she tried to make a run for it.

And now, here she was, her hands tied above her head, attached with a rope to a pipe hanging a meter overhead. It was a sturdy one, she already tried dragging it down.

Those men were taking straws, seven of them in total. She didn't know for sure what for, but she had a growing fear. She had recognised them. They were a small time gang she caught only a few days ago.

One seemed to win. He walked towards her, holding a knife. He had a particular nasty look in his eyes.

She had to get out of here, and fast! She only had one chance. Her legs were numb, but they still worked.

He got closer to her.

"I am a lucky bastard." He said, a perverted look in his eyes. "You've never had a man before, have you?" He laughed to himself. "Don't worry, I'll teach you, and they'll teach you next."

Hell no! The thought sent shivers up her spine. _'Please, Kami, I don't want this.'_ She shot through her mind.

He was close. One more step, and he was within reach.

He stopped, letting his eyes glide over her helpless body. She could feel them peer through her clothes.

"You better get in the mood." He sneered. "Because you're not leaving until we have had our fill." He must have seen the fear on her face, as he let out a sadistic laugh.

"Hurry up." One of the other six yelled. "We want our turn too, you know?"

"Shut up." He yelled back. "I've got her first time, and I'm going to enjoy it."

And he stepped up.

She pulled herself up, willing her arms to carry her weight. She flung up her left leg, and set it on his shoulder. She had aimed for his face, but this would have to do.

Using the shoulder she pushed herself up. She stretched out her arms as far as she could, and grabbed the rope with both hands. Again she pulled, and forced herself to turn upside down, swinging her legs over her head.

Her muscles screamed in agony. But it was worth it, her right foot reached the pipe hanging overhead. She forced it over as she turned, until the pipe was in her knee joint. Now she summoned one more push from her exhausted abs. She nearly failed, and only grabbed the pipe by the very tip of her fingers.

It was enough. She pulled herself in a little until she could grab it with both hands.

Then she felt a pull. Someone was pulling on the back of her shirt.

The guy below her had not fallen, as he should have, and had gotten hold of her shirt, standing on his very toes. And he was about to pull his weight into the mix. She knew she could not hold on, but did so anyway.

A rip.

Before her arms could give in, her shirt had, and the rapist fell down with just a small piece of white cloth in his hands.

She summoned the last of her strength, pulling her upper body up one more time, until she was up far enough to start pushing the pipe down.

She swung her leg over it, and tried to sit.

In doing so, she accidentally let her leg fall straight down. And he made a grasp for it. Just in time she pulled up. He jumped, but not high enough.

She was safe.

For now.

She was also exhausted. Her muscles burned. Her arms simply refused effort of any kind. She had brushed a gunshot in her leg, and it tore, leaving a small trickle of blood, and a lot of pain.

But she was out of their reach. She started to think on what to do next when she heard laughter. The other six were laughing at the expense of the one.

"She actually got away from you." One said. "You're pathetic."

"Oh shut up!" He snapped back.

Meanwhile, she was biting on her ropes. But no, they were too tough.

She glanced down again. Suddenly it had been quiet. Suspicious.

She saw the rapist, standing by his friends, a handgun aimed at her. As in slow motion she saw the finger move the trigger.

Instinctively, her body dived. She had been shot at so many times that avoiding had become second nature.

And her undoing.

The shot was poorly aimed, and would not even have gotten close to hitting her.

Her dive made her lose her balance. She slipped sideways. She grabbed the pipe with both hands, but there was no strength left in her arms. The pipe passed her face. In a last ditch effort she bent her knee, hoping to catch the pipe, but had to watch her foot slip over it. She missed.

She fell.

The rope had moved around her left wrist, and when her full weight came on it, it snapped like a twig.

Both her shoulders were dislocated, along with a broken rib on each side.

She knew, but didn't feel it. Not yet.

Laughter filled her ears.

Her eyes were full of tears, blurring her view.

Unable to hold herself back anymore, she drew back her head, and screamed. Long and loudly. Tears were flowing down her face. Her grief, her anger, her frustration, her helplessness. It was her sudden change of life. The shattering of her world. The lie she had lived for so long.

She, who was the face of the law, the fear of the criminals, was now reduced to their plaything. No one knew she was here. No one cared. No one would come for her.

And now, even her own strength had failed her.

Carried her burden this far, she could no longer take it.

She broke.

…

Then she could no longer scream. A hand had squeezed her throat shut.

She opened her eyes, and through the blurry vision so recognised her rapist. She struggled, but did not have the strength left.

Then his hand was gone. She coughed, and sucked in the fresh air. In doing so she let her vision drop.

Her eyes trailed his left shoulder, his upper arm pointing down, and her way. His lower arm, pointing up and her way. His hand, clenched almost to a fist. Her right breast.

"You just noticed now?" He asked sadistically. He pulled, as if he wanted to rip it off.

Her body moved with the pull, but she didn't feel anything. Nothing but the slow burn in her ribs, shoulders and left wrist. Slowly it was becoming clearer.

He let go, causing her to swing back a little.

"Ah well, time is ticking." He grinned. He placed the knife in left side of her neck, but with the edge the other way. He grabbed her shirt, and slowly cut towards the sleeve. It fell down, revealing the tighter blue shirt she had underneath.

He did the same for her other side, letting the white shirt fall down a little. Now he grabbed the shirt from the front, and cut it lose, letting it fall to the ground as well.

"No." She whispered.

"Yes." He replied. He did the same to her blue shirt. Left shoulder, right shoulder, front. That too fell down, revealing her white bra.

"White?" He grinned. "You're an innocent one, aren't you? Ah, but not for long."

"No, please stop." She begged. She twisted her arms, but only gave herself some more numb pain.

"Did you stop when we begged you not to take us in?" He said with malice. He put the knife under her left armpit, under the strap.

"Please." She started crying again.

"No, you didn't." He continued, as he cut through. Now he took the strap over her right shoulder. "You ruined our reputation."

"No, please." She said again, barely a whisper. She had already lost hope, but kept going.

"You gave us a criminal record." He hissed, cutting through.

"I'll erase it." She promised. "I'll undo it. Please don't do this to me."

"Can you undo the scorn we got?" He asked, grabbing the strip over her left shoulder. "Can you unsend us to prison?" He put his knife under it. "Can you make our families un-hate us?" He cut through. The only reason it hadn't fallen yet was because he was holding it up. "Can you unbeat us? Can you un-lie to the police?"

"Please. I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'll say it was a mistake. Please."

"No!" He pulled it away, throwing the cloth behind him. "You can't, you are no longer anyone." He lowered his gaze. "You got pink ones, how cute."

She saw him bending down.

"No! Don't!"

"Hurry up already, we don't have forever." One of the six spectators yelled.

He ignored them, and took her left past his teeth. A new pain shot through her body as he bit down.

"You liked that, didn't you?" He spat, wiping the blood off of his mouth. "Ah well, time for the main event." Moving fast now, he grabbed her shorts, placed the knife over her leg and cut both sides, dropping it.

Then he started on her panties.

"NO PLEASE!" She yelled. She tried to twist, but she didn't even have the strength to do that anymore.

"Think of it as repaying the city for everything you stole from us." He stated, cutting one side loose.

"I didn't know." She declared. "It was all just my dad. I never knew. Please don't do this to me."

"Oh well." He grinned. "I guess raping his precious little girl is a good way to punish him." He cut the last piece of cloth. Her last cover fell to the ground.

She jerked on her arms, but they were paralyzed. Her legs no longer moved either. The burn in her wrist, shoulders and ribs had become mind numbing.

"That it?" He huffed, actually sounding disappointed. "Oh well, I'll make do." He let his hand slide over her bare underside. "Oh my, are you actually getting wet here?"

Videl no longer had the will to beg, she just let her head hang back, closed her eyes and cried.

He dropped his pants, and underpants, showing his manhood.

"Don't worry." He said, as he grabbed both her legs and pulled them apart. "At least one of us will enjoy this."

A thunder shock shattered the windows. Videls eyes snapped open, and she looked up over the mans shoulder.

There was something else in their midst.

A shape made of pure light, so bright it hurt her eyes just looking at it.

The personification of rage and anger. A ghastly apparition.

His hair lit up the room in an eerie gold, his eyes were sickeningly teal, pupil-less, yet piercing through flesh and mind. Wisps of pale gold floated around him, and shots of blue crackled.

He was far more horrifying up close than he had been high in the sky. But she knew him.

Her voice wavered, turning into a mere whisper.

"Help me."

* * *

She stirred. A cold breeze had tickled her exposed skin.

Then she remembered. Her eyes snapped open. She wanted to move, to get up, but her body felt paralyzed.

Her head was pointed to her left. She saw a wall, with trash cans before it, and above that the sky.

"Easy there." She heard a voice. It might as well have been an angel.

No, a God.

With great effort she moved her head slightly. Above her she saw his face. His onyx orbs looked down at her with fear and worry.

"Gohan." She whispered. Slowly she saw more, and felt more.

She laid in his arms, in an alleyway. He wasn't wearing his white shirt or his black vest, showing his torso to the world.

And she had no pain.

"You should be ok now." He said gently. She was on his lap, her head held up by his left hand.

She tried to move her legs, and found that she could. And her arms. Her shoulders were fine. No pain. How?

And she no longer felt hungry either, for the first time in days.

She sat up a little, and looked down. Her body was covered by a white cloth. His shirt.

She clutched the shirt to her chest, and stood up. He got up as well.

"Gohan." She whispered again. She looked down at his feet, not able to look up at his face. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise." He said to her. She nodded silently.

And still she kept her gaze to the floor. She wanted to run. Run away from him. From what happened. What almost happened.

"Those guys." She started, thinking about the seven men. "Did you…" She couldn't finish, as the words became stuck in her throat.

He was silent for a moment. As she didn't see his face, she had no idea what he might be thinking.

"I killed them." He replied. Not angry, but resigned. Sad, almost.

Here was a man admitting to sevenfold manslaughter. The old her would try to take him in without a second thought. The old her wasn't stripped clean of everything she was.

She thought of that horrible man again. He was dead. But she wasn't happy. All she felt was pity. That wrath, pale gold, piercing eyes, the embodiment of rage and anger, it send a shiver down her exposed spine.

And this was the last thing those men saw in this world.

' _But who am I to judge a God?'_ She told herself.

They still stood there, silently.

It was her again who broke the silence. "What will you do with me now?" She asked.

She saw his feet move, stepping back a little.

"Nothing." She heard him state. He sounded surprised, somehow.

"I'm sorry." She started, fearing she may have offended him. "I didn't…"

"Stop." He said evenly.

"I'm…" She started again, fear now creeping up rapidly.

"STOP!" Now he said it with force. Videl trembled in place, her eyes shut tightly, tears running down her cheeks.

She wished she was back in that warehouse.

Until she felt a strong hand, gently gripping her shoulder.

"It's alright, Videl." He said kindly." You have nothing to apologise for."

"I'm just…" Her voice cut off, as it no longer followed her will.

She felt him cup her face in his other hand. "It's ok." He continued, in such a loving tone it ripped straight through her heart.

Unable to hold herself back, she flung her arms around his chest and wailed, loud and undignified.

The pain, the fear, the changes, the life she was ripped out off.

She had broken. And now she crumbled.

She didn't know for how long they stood there. She didn't even notice when her feet had left the ground.

Somewhere, she was vaguely aware that she had let go of his shirt, which he now placed back around her back. Wind rushing past her body. The sounds of the city had been left behind.

But none of it really came through.

Her life right now was Son Gohan. Her friend, her hero. Her saviour. Her world. Her God.

* * *

Gohan looked down at her as he flew. He could feel her pressing up against him quite clearly, but every time he as much as thought of trying to move her away, she just clutched him harder.

He felt grieved. Videl Satan. She was so strong. Here she was now, still crying, barely consciousness.

But it was ok. He would take her with him. Someplace safe. Someplace where no one would ever find her.

Grief. Sadness. Sorrow. And anger. Such anger.

He lost control over himself. Before he knew it, he was standing between fire and ash. Nothing had remained.

Nothing but Videl.

An image floated before his mind, from the split moment he entered, and was frozen to the ground.

Her tear filled eyes had nothing but fear, pain and despair. Her arms were broken, her shoulders ripped apart. Several crushed ribs, and her legs littered with bullet holes. Her clothes cut off.

She even had a bleeding bite mark.

He just lost it.

Though she had lost consciousness at the time, when he took off her bounds and moved her outside, she had whimpered and twitched from the pain.

His anger flared just remembering.

' _What did they do to you?'_ He held her closer. She just sighed, breathing softly now.

She had looked so scared when he arrived.

But then, back in the alley, she had shaken with fear. Fear for him. His anger. His power.

Gohan felt several tears go down his face.

' _I can not allow this to continue.'_

* * *

 **End of Chapter**

* * *

I warned you, didn't I?

Did I go overboard?

Maybe a little.

This is probably the worst it is going to get. Unless I Change my mind again. No promises.

I'm sorry if the 'Talking to Kami' was a little out of place, but that setup was way too beautiful to pass up. It also kind off makes sense. For Gohan, talking to 'Kami' is the most natural thing in the world.

For the others… not so much.

I thank Queenkeesie for beta-reading for me, and convincing me this story is worth posting. Unfortunately, she is no longer able to continue.

And MrChuckMan, also for beta-reading, and helping me improve the chapter quite a bit.


	5. Chapter 5, Resistance

I know it's kind of stale if I start every chapter with a note of me being surprised by the amount of attention this gets. But I am just taken by surprise every single time. Anyway, I'll try to stop doing that from now on.

I'm not sure if everyone got it from the last chapter, since I didn't explicitly state it.

Gohan did not call a press conference or intervened on a large scale because he believed it was going to blow over by itself.

At the end of the last chapter he changed his mind, and will no longer allow himself to stand idle.

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 **Resistance**

* * *

Sharpner let himself fall down on his bed. He looked over at the TV.

" _Seven lives, for seven years!"_ The TV man screamed. _"Our God is merciful, but his patience is not bottomless! For seven years we have forsaken him. For seven years we have wronged him. And now, even though he, in his infinite kindness, has shown us mercy, and saved us from certain death once again, we still have not adhered his will."_

" _But what is his will?"_ Another asked. _"We know nothing. There are hundreds of people claiming to know the will of the Golden God, but how do we know who is right?"_

" _He took seven people, on the seventh day after his arrival."_ The first replied. _"That is not a coincidence. It is a sign, clear as day. We must change our ways. We must rid the entire city of the Satan Defilement. Take down all posters, statues, names, and everything else to do with them. Only then may we be spared of his wrath."_

He turned it off. He didn't know what was true anymore.

One moment Gohan had seemed perfectly fine. The next he went and killed seven people.

Seven. It might seem so small compared to the last time he was involved in something. The death count of the Day of Revelation was nearly four and a half thousand.

But this was different. This time it was directly, by his own hands.

Just like that, gone.

A massive flash, ripping the warehouse and those around it apart like they were made of cardboard. And the remains of seven people, charred beyond the point of identification.

Such a cruel death.

And not a word why.

They knew it was Gohan. A golden trail led from the school nearly straight to the warehouse.

Sharpner did remember something about 'Kami'. Perhaps he simply took vengeance on someone who wronged his Godly self?

He sighed, and closed his eyes. If only Gohan would tell them what he wanted from them. Something. Anything.

This… nothingness was enough to drive someone mad.

His phone went off. He looked at it to see who it was.

His father. Again.

He refused the call.

His parents happened to be on a vacation, so he was home alone.

The news covered the attack on the abandoned warehouse, where the Golden God was sighted, and the building burned to the ground.

The remains of seven people were found. It wasn't hard to figure out what had happened here.

The news spread like wildfire. Sharpner had hardly reached home when his parents called him. Demanded he'd pack his stuff and leave the house.

It was the first time they called, actually. It was nice of them to show they cared, but no, Sharpner had refused to leave. He stated he was in contact with the Golden God himself, and it would be rude to just leave.

In the end, being a great distance away, there was nothing they could do to persuade him.

By now, he simply started refusing the calls. They were all the same anyway. Demanding he'd pack up and come to them. Preferably with a few choice items.

He looked outside. The sky was starting to darken. Another day had passed. A long and exhausting one.

Frankly, he was glad to have survived it. The guy next door couldn't say the same. He had hung himself in his own front yard just this afternoon.

But his fiancé had been in a jet over Satan City when Gohan revealed his power.

Two more victims.

And they weren't the only ones. Suicide rates had gone up drastically since last week. And Sharpner was willing to bet it had doubled again today.

He was brought out of his musing when he heard the doorbell.

He didn't remember anyone telling him they were coming. He didn't place any orders either. Not like anyone was still delivering anymore.

In fact, most services of any kind had shut down already.

How many people had already quit their jobs and fled the city? They had already been leaving by the thousands. Surely today would not make things better.

As if anywhere in the world was out of reach of the Golden God. He could fly faster than anything they had, or even anything they could track him with.

Slowly, he walked to the door and peered trough the little spy hole.

Yeah, they had a spy hole in their front door. Having been the friend of the world famous Videl Satan did bring a few dangers with it.

And now, with the Satans discredited, it could have become so much worse.

Yet it didn't. They were left in relative peace. Probably because they were known associates of Gohan, so people were a bit weary of them.

Well, people who knew about that anyway. More than a few didn't know that.

So he was a little careful of unexpected strangers.

It was Erasa.

Quickly, while wondering what brought her here all of a sudden, he unlocked the door and opened up.

"Hey." She smiled at him. She had a huge backpack, and two more suitcases in her hands. "I'm moving in with you, hope you don't mind?"

* * *

Sharpner closed the door behind Erasa, and locked it. The girl took a deep breath, almost tasting the fresh morning air.

She was wearing her usual outfit, her green tube top, and short blue jeans, with a brown handbag slung over her shoulder.

Sharpner had added a black jacket with short sleeves to his outfit.

She had slept reasonably well, considering what happened yesterday.

Sharpner had given her his parents bedroom, since they were gone anyway. He even prepared breakfast for both of them while she was taking a shower.

For someone who just had someone move in unannounced, he seemed awfully happy with the whole thing.

Then again, he was cooped up alone in the house up until now, so maybe that had something to do with it.

She told him what had happened. Her parents started packing, but Erasa didn't agree to come along. She flat out refused to leave. The Golden God had called to her, she said, and it would infuriate him if she just turned her back on him. Besides, where would they go? West City regularly saw those traces of light, which people now knew were made by powerful beings.

Gohan was the only one who had shown himself thus far, but Erasa highly doubted he was truly alone. The only thing running away would do was give an illusion of safety.

The neighbouring cites were not much better. At least here the criminals had fled a long time ago, but they had to go somewhere.

They had begged her to leave with them, but she remained. They made the argument that she should not stay here, in an empty house, by herself.

So she packed, and left to move in with Sharpner.

Of course, she knew he'd let her in without a second's thought. They were in this together, and they would stick together. And now, they only had each other.

So they cared for each other.

* * *

Orange Star High. Just last week it had been a busy place, with countless students going about.

Now it was run down. The windows still broken, no one had time to replace them yet. Probably no one was left to do it either.

And it was nearly deserted, only a handful of students remained. The amount of teachers left could be counted on one hand.

The only reason the place had not closed already was because Gohan might come back. After all, he returned after the Day of Revelation. It was likely he returned after the Day of Vengeance as well. And he would probably not take kindly if the place was closed.

No one wanted to be here. But someone had to be, or the everyone would face Gohan's wrath.

Just when things were starting to calm down, Gohan went and did that.

Walking the empty halls, Sharpner looked back at Erasa. He saw the same determination he felt within himself reflect in her eyes.

They would stay. Even if they were the only two left in this building, they would remain here, and wait for Gohan.

For the sake of the world, they would ask him, ask what he was doing, what he wants from the world.

Of course, since there were hardly any students left, and even fewer teachers, actual lessons were out of the question. The man, not even one of their teachers, just told them to just go do whatever, and put on a radio.

Besides Sharpner and Erasa, only Angela was still here. The three of them were the only ones left from this class. There were six more people from other classes, probably most of what was left of the entire school.

And five of them were girls.

It wasn't all that strange. Even before the Day of Revelation Gohan had been rather popular, since he came across as kind, and he was rather handsome.

And now people imagined him glowing like a fairy, being all pretty.

They had no idea what that truly was like. Angela, Erasa and Sharpner, they knew, they were right there yesterday, when Gohan abandoned his Human shape.

He was like an angel. Not the cute kind with pretty wings, but the walking embodiments of light, said to come in the end times to destroy the world, wielding terrible powers.

Sharpner had to do a little research on that one, actually. Who knew angels could be such frightening beings?

Who knew Gohan could be?

But no, there was no point in thinking about it. Though he looked frightening, and wielded incredible power, he was still Gohan. Kind, understanding and gentle.

Perhaps the best kind of person to wield such divine powers?

Sharpner looked outside for a bit. If Gohan was going to show up today, he would already have done it. He only wished he knew where the other was, or had a way of contacting him. Being forced to wait for him like this wasn't everything.

Then he was prodded by Erasa.

"Listen to the radio." She stated. Indeed, the teacher had turned it up.

It was an announcement.

King Furry was finally making a statement.

The king had refused to make one before. What had changed?

Stupid question. Gohan happened.

" _People of the world."_ The king started. _"I have remained silent on this matter for so long, as I believed it was not wise for me to speak out. Just like I never publicly spoke out against Hercule Satan. I have known for a long time he had not defeated Cell."_

The news struck in like a bombshell. Just how many were in on the conspiracy against the Golden God?

" _Yes, even though I had no proof, I have known."_ The king continued. _"And if you remember, when I did speak out I was declared a fool, and many even questioned if I was fit to remain as king."_

This gave the students pause. Sharpner had no idea, but Erasa nodded, remembering that to be accurate.

" _Seven years ago, I was forced to keep my silence. As a result the majority of the world believed in Satan's lies._

 _And today, I will speak against the world again. The Golden God is no God. He is a man. Yes, a man worthy of praise and admiration, but he is no god to be worshipped. I do not deny his power. I do believe it was him, or at least someone of his circle, who truly defeated Cell. But, as no one has came forward, we do not know for sure."_

Come to think of it, the defeat of Cell was commonly attributed to Gohan, even though they didn't really have proof.

And hold on, did the king just say, 'someone of his circle'? There are more of them?

Kami and the Golden God are separate entities?

Sharpner and Erasa crossed glances again, each reading the same fearful thought in the other's eyes.

The king had paused for a moment, to let that last part sink in for a bit.

" _What I do deny is his claim of deity. Do not believe what the cultist would say. He is Son Gohan, son of Son Goku, to whom I owe my life. He was born in Orange Star West Hospital, seventeen years ago. He lives on Mt. Paozu, and recently has even begun school._

 _I do not know if he is Human, but I do know he is of this world, one of us._

 _Do not fall for the same deceit twice. Do not worship him as you worshipped Hercule Satan!"_ The voice was rapidly growing more passionate. _"He is no god! He is a man, a teenager even!_

 _Yes, we should respect him, and give him his dues, as we, the world, owe him our lives, more than once. And we owe him for seven years of neglect and verbal abuse! He, and all who had fought alongside him!_

 _How many times have they saved us? Many years ago, I myself saw the return of King Piccolo. A young man and a little boy were all that stood between us and our doom. But it was enough._

 _How many times have we been saved before that day, or since? The Red Ribbon Army, against whom my own armies stood hopeless, had been wiped from the face of the earth._

 _King Piccolo, who had returned to take his vengeance, defeated by a young boy._

 _Piccolo Jr, when he entered the World Martial Arts Tournament to take revenge on Goku, he was defeated instead._

 _The two Saiyans, who laid waste to East City, were defeated by a means unknown._

 _Cell and his children._

 _And how many times more? How often have we been saved outside of public view? I do not dare imagine."_

A dead silence hung in the room, and Sharpner would daresay on the entire world, as everyone was listening breathlessly.

And King Furry still wasn't done. _"After seven years of being denounced lies and trickery, when lives were at stake once more, they answered the call, without hesitation, and without reproach._

 _We, the world, owe a dept that can never be repaid. But not to gods, but to our fellow Earthlings!_

 _Do not believe these lies of worship. They have existed long before they have shown themselves to us. Gohan has existed for seventeen years. His power is real. If he had wanted to be praised, he would have walked into Satan Mansion a long time ago, and nothing could have stopped him._

 _He did not. He did not wish to be known. If an entire city had not been at stake, he would never have shown himself._

 _Yes, we must make amends, and show we are not as ungrateful as the last seven years have made us out to be._

 _But do not worship Son Gohan, or anyone else! They are not Kami! And our gratitude must reflect this!_

 _For they have been our silent guardians!"_

The voice stopped, and a few seconds the broadcast cut off as well.

The intense silence hung in the air.

Erasa was feeling slightly overwhelmed by this whole speech.

Sharpner took a deep breath. This was quite a lot to take in.

The king of the world had just denounced Gohan's status. And it made them feel angry. No mere anger for having ones believes insulted, but anger on behalf of Gohan.

To them it was no mere worship. They had been with Gohan. They had spoken to him. To them, it was personal.

So it was silent, as everyone had thoughts of their own.

Until Angela stood up. "That heretic!" She spat. "How dare he step on the honour of the Golden God? When the world finally realised its true saviour, that self-important… FURBAG thinks he can try and take it away?!"

"Maybe he's right." One of the other girls tried to reason.

"No!" Angela returned with a firm voice. "You don't understand! You weren't here. You think him glowing golden is cute or handsome? It's fucking terrifying!"

She slammed her fist on the table with her last sentence. "He has shown himself to us. He has saved us. From the Satans, and from ourselves. Giving him the worship he deserves is the least we can do!"

"I suppose." Sharpner agreed half-heartedly. Though he was angry, he had to admit, King Furry had made some valid points. "But what if that's isn't what he wants?"

"Then _what does he want_?" Angela asked him. She didn't sound angry anymore, just sad, and almost pleading.

"I don't know." He admitted. "That's why we're here, isn't it?" He then returned. "To find out what it is he wants from us? That's why we're waiting here for his return, isn't it?"

Angela's eyes lit up, and a smile took her face. "Yeah, you're right." She agreed, sounding a whole lot happier. "So, we can ask him directly."

"With that said, I think of he was going to show up, he would have done it already." Sharpner declared. "Let's call it a day."

"Yeah." Erasa agreed. "Let's."

* * *

" _For they have been our silent guardians!"_

The television stopped the broadcast, turning the screen into static.

Krillin leaned back, looking at his wife. She was as inexpressive as usual, but from the way she had her arms crossed in defence, Krillin knew something was bothering her. He had learned to read the little signs a long time ago.

"I have to say, I feel kind of warm after hearing that." He started.

"I bet." Eighteen replied.

"It was brave of him to come forward like that." Krillin continued. "Like he said, speaking against Hercule would turn the whole word against you. I can't imagine how much worse it would be to speak against Gohan."

"The Golden God, not Gohan." Eighteen corrected him. "It is not Gohan they worship, but their own image of him. But either way, this could go horribly south."

* * *

" _For they have been our silent guardians!"_

Yamcha turned the thing off. It was cut anyway. He shook his head. On one side, he felt kind of happy their group, and by extension himself, finally got the credit they deserved, even if they never asked for it.

On the other hand…

* * *

" _For they have been our silent guardians!"_

Tien walked out, leaving the radio for what it was. Though he wasn't called by name, he did know he was meant to be part of that group.

And the king remembered him, even though his efforts were in vain.

Well, maybe not totally, since he did buy enough time for Goku to get there.

Come to think of it, that might have been where that trend started.

He may not desire a reward for his actions, but finally getting acknowledged after all these years? It made him feel warm inside.

Yet, he also had a foreboding feeling of dread.

* * *

" _For they have been our silent guardians!"_

Goten practically jumped on his mother. "They were talking about Gohan!" He claimed with excitement. "And dad! They were talking about dad!"

"Yes, they were." Chichi felt every bit as happy as the kid was. Finally, her husbands name would no longer be dragged through the mud.

Finally, her son got the recognition he so much deserved, even if it wasn't for academics.

And hopefully, this would put an end to this whole Golden God business.

* * *

" _For they have been our silent guardians!"_

Bulma looked over at her husband, who looked back. He recognised that look, or at least, she hoped he would.

This wasn't good. Though it was most certainly a courageous move, King Furry just publicly denounced the Golden God.

And taken a stance against those who believed he was a God.

Depending on how devout the cultists would have become, this may spell civil war.

Of course, that was only the worst case scenario.

As for Vegeta himself, though he was initially amused to see those pathetic Humans learn their place, in the end, he just didn't care.

If he did, he would have intervened a long time ago.

* * *

" _For they have been our silent guardians!"_

"How about that?" An elderly man turned the TV off. "I thought he was that boy, but now I know for sure."

"Only now?" His granddaughter slightly made fun of him. "I recognised him the moment I saw him, especially after he was said to be Delivery Boy."

"Yes, so you've told me." The man sighed. Indeed, she had, over and over again. Then again, that girl had always liked strong men, and they don't come much stronger than the Golden God himself.

A God? He highly doubted that.

The girl, a seventeen year old with brown hair and appropriately lime green eyes, was already be the door, ready to leave.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked her.

"To a cult meeting." She replied happily.

* * *

" _For they have been our silent guardians!"_

He turned his radio off. Silent guardians indeed. Even though he had publicly challenged them many times, no one ever retaliated.

It had made him bold. For a time, he had truly believed in his own lies.

Until the entire city shook under the power of Son Gohan, and his metaphorical world crashed around him.

He knew it the instant that shaking began. He recognised it as no mere earthquake. This was power, the same kind as the people from the Cell Games possessed.

So he packed his stuff, lost a good few minutes looking for everything, while sending every servant home.

By the time he took off in his personal jet, the shaking had already stopped, and that voice was no longer carried by the wind.

Even all the way from here he could see the bright golden light shooting into the sky.

He took his phone, and called Videl. Thank Kami she picked it up.

"Videl." He said the moment the phone stopped ringing. "Are you safe? Where are you?" He asked, hoping she was not anywhere near that golden light.

"I'm fine." His answer came. She even sounded a little annoyed.

He believed her. "Get out of the city, right now! Get out, and hurry! Don't let anyone follow you! Don't take anyone with you! Just throw away your phone and run!" He told her.

He wanted to follow, to tell her where to go, where to meet him.

But no, phones could be tapped. And as the most famous, and soon to be most infamous, man in the world, his phone would most definitely be.

He couldn't take that risk.

So, he had hung up, and thrown his phone out the window, to smash on the streets below.

Now he regretted not adding that part. It would have taken some time before the shock would wear off, and the hunt for them would begin in earnest. In that time, they could have met up already, and he could have taken her with him.

Could have.

He had hoped she'd show up here, but she didn't. There was no more sign of her. Her phone, wristband and copter had been found, abandoned, and she is said to have been spotted twice.

After that, nothing.

No news, good news. It meant she was someplace hidden away, out of public view.

If only he knew where.

He let his hand slide over his shaven head, a tick from when he still had his hair. Getting rid of his trademark afro had actually hurt more than he cared to admit.

* * *

King Furry still sat at his desk, in the exact same position as when the broadcast was cut. The cameras were being removed, the people were cleaning up and leaving.

He did not say a word.

It was only after the last one had left that he moved, and looked at the only remaining person in the room.

"That was quite inspiring." The stranger said, picking at a the grey strands of his beard. "And you added quite a bit as well."

"It is what I believe." King Furry replied. "Like I said, I have always known it was not Hercule who had defeated Cell. By the way, do you know who it really was?"

"It was Gohan." The man replied. "He was the one who rose to the challenge, though not without trouble."

"I see." The King nodded. "Then I suppose I must commend him for an award, even if it is seven years late."

"Don't bother, he doesn't want to be rewarded." The man replied. "I told you, he only wishes to live in peace." The man smiled slightly. "He is modest like that."

The man was downright massive, and unmistakable, even without his trademark axe and helmet with horns.

"Anyway." He continued. "Thank you for going along with me. I'm sure my grandson will appreciate it." He nodded once, then stood up and left the room.

"Gohan." The king mumbled. "I leave the world in your hands now."

* * *

The two were making their way back home on foot.

The streets were quiet, uncannily so. Not really a surprise, considering how many had moved away.

Of course, it was only quiet compared to the busy streets they had been before. There were still plenty of people walking, driving or flying.

"I can't believe the king would jump ship like that!" Erasa complained. She had her handbag slung over her shoulder.

"He does have a point." Sharpner replied. "Not the whole 'don't worship' thing, but about there being more to it than just Gohan. You think there are more of them?"

"Gohan wasn't alone at the Cell Games, so probably." She replied. They walked further down the street, both wondering what they were going to do for the rest of the day. It wasn't even afternoon yet.

"Well, well, look at that." The two heard a voice coming from their side. A large man in his early twenties stood in an alley, staring directly at Erasa, clearly undressing her with his eyes. And a few more people were standing by him, just now turning to see what the first was looking at.

She tugged Sharpner on the sleeve and started walking a little faster. Though he would have loved to tear the other guy's eyes out, he knew she'd rather walk away.

"Come on missy, let's go have some quality time." Another suggested as they started following. Six in total.

"You have got to be kidding me." Erasa grunted.

"Your boyfriend can join in too, we don't mind." The first stated.

"I do mind!" She snapped back, walking a little faster.

"Don't be like that." One called. "We're all gonna die soon, so let's have some fun."

She ignored them and kept walking.

On the street ahead were a trio of teenagers, guys, walking towards them, talking about some random topic. Delinquents, judging by the cigarettes and cans of beer.

"Oy." The of the men behind called to the teenagers. "You guys want good time?"

The teens looked up, wondering what the guy was talking about, they understood when they saw Erasa.

Hopefully these guys were of a better sort than the others.

"Sure, why not?" One spoke up.

Of course not, that would have been way too easy.

Sharpner quickened his pace, to get in front of Erasa, and clenched his fist. Behind him, Erasa reached into her bag.

Since there were only three in front and six behind, not to mention teens and adults, this was where Sharpner decided to pick his fight.

"Move!" He commanded, throwing what he hoped was a death glance at them.

"There's three of us and one of you." One teen pointed out, and walked up to his face with his arms spread out, a giant grin on the face. "Whatcha gonna do?"

Deciding that the best defence was a good offence, the blonde decked him straight in the giant grin. The teen fell backwards as stiff as a board.

"And now there's two." Sharpner walked over the boy towards the other two, who readied themselves for a fight.

He heard a squeal behind him. He turned, and saw Erasa being grabbed by the arm by one of their pursuers.

In the time he took to look behind, one of the two in front jumped him, and threw him to the ground.

"Hold him down!" One of the men commanded. "We'll let ya have a turn with er."

Sharpner wouldn't be so easy to hold down, as he had a black belt in Satan Style. Even though Mr. Satan turned out to be a massive fraud, he was still a half decent fighter, he did win the world championship fair and square after all.

And likewise, Sharpner may not know energy, but he did know how to fight.

He used his shoulders to push from the ground, and kick up, straight against the chin of one of the teens.

The other he got by the hand, and twisted his little pinkie, making him let go and yell in pain.

He heard Erasa's high yell over the others. He tried to get back on his feet, but unfortunately, the two teens got a little help.

One of the adults had joined them. And the first teen, the one he punched in the face, knocked down, but not out.

Black belt or no black belt, when you're on your back, attacked by four at once, your chances tend to be pretty slim.

He was barely able to keep his face from being mashed in by the onslaught of fists and feet.

Then the only adult reached to his back, and pulled out a small knife. This gave the three teens pause, and Sharpner wiggling room, which he gladly abused.

"Lay still, or I'll gut you!" The man threatened.

He got a foot in his privates for his trouble. Not quite the way as it was intended, as, instead of doubling over, letting go of the knife or basically anything that would remove the guy from the fight, he just grabbed his foot, and brought the pocket knife down.

Sharpner pulled on his foot, making the blade barely hit his thigh.

He heard another scream. Not Erasa. This one was filled with pain.

"HOLD THAT… AAARGH, MY EYES!" One screamed.

More voices and curses followed.

The four, and Sharpner, looked over.

One guy was down on the ground, three were running about, one of them into a wall, and the fifth clearly decided it wasn't worth it and bolted.

Erasa was walking towards the four holding Sharpner down, on her left hand brass knuckles, and in her right a small bottle.

"What the fu" The adult started, he let go of Sharpner's foot, and pointed his knife at Erasa. But she cut him off by spraying into his face from well over a meter away before he could finish talking.

The girl followed up with what was clearly a badly imitated left Satan Power Hook, Videl's signature move.

It did land though, and hard, thanks to the brass knuckles. The guy stumbled backwards and fell on the pavement.

Erasa looked at the three remaining teens. She was breathing hard. "You want _'pant'_ a piece _'pant'_ of this? _'pant'_ Come and _'pant'_ get it!" She dared them between her rapid breaths.

"That bitch is crazy!" One yelled and decided he didn't want anything to do with this anymore.

The other two lost their courage as well, and let go of Sharpner to follow.

The blonde got up within the second, and glanced around, but there was no one left to fight.

"You _'pant'_ ok?" Erasa breathed.

"Yeah." He stretched out his side. He got a nasty kick in there, and it was making itself known. "You?"

She nodded, and leaned towards him, her knees suddenly giving out. He caught her against his chest. She looked up at him and grinned. He recognised that grin. It was the same exhausted yet exited grin Videl used to have after a hard match.

"I'm ok." She told him, her rapid breath turning it into a whisper.

He let her lean against him for a few seconds, so she could regain her breath and her control over her legs.

"Wow." Sharpner commented. "I didn't know you could fight like that."

"Neither did I." She returned, pushing herself upright again.

He looked a little hesitant for a moment. "I'd like to take this time to apologise on behalf of all the decent people in the male half of humanity." He started, half joking, but he was just hiding himself behind it. "We're not all like that." He then added earnestly.

"I know that." She replied lightly.

The two started walking, mostly to get away from that place.

"By the way, what was that?" He decided to ask.

"Pepper spray." She replied, grinning, still a little high on her adrenaline. "I bought it the day people ruined my locker. And this one too." She referred to her brass knuckles. "By the way, are you ok?" She pointed to his leg.

Indeed, a small trickle of blood was making it's way down his pants.

"It's fine, it's just a scratch." He shrugged.

"Sharpner!" She called, probably thinking he was being tough or something.

"It is! He just graced me, that's all." He tried to put her at ease.

"Fine." She sighed. "Let's go home, I need to lay down for a bit."

Sharpner silently agreed. Yeah, she had earned her rest.

Come on, she just single-handedly fought off five people at once.

Who saw that coming?

* * *

 **End of Chapter**

* * *

Who **did** that see coming?

At first I was a little hesitant to let this chapter go next, since it had yet another scene like that in it.

On the plus side, it is probably going to be the last one.

Probably.

No promises.

And as you may have noticed, this isn't as much a 'Gohan is revealed as the true defeater of Cell' fic as it is a worldwide reaction to Gohan's power. After all, this story started with the idea of what would happen if a Super Saiyan appeared in the real world.

Which reminds me, I have yet to hear anything about that nuclear war I mentioned.

I mean seriously, that was my first scenario. I figured someone would get twitchy, and decide to throw in the nukes, and then everyone would do it.

But that story would be over really quickly.

And besides, there no mention of nukes in Dragon Ball, so I'm not going to use them.

Probably.

EDIT:

Oh dear, I completely forgot to thank MrChuckMan to all of his help by beta-reading and giving me a few ideas.

He had to beat me over the head before I realised it.


	6. Chapter 6, Purity I

**To guest Tactician:**

Damn, why didn't I think of that? That's hilarious.

I think I'll save it for later, perhaps after the shock of Gohan's appearance has worn off.

 **To guest Iwik:**

At this point, the world is pretty much still in shock, but it has already started to wear off. And Gohan's actions at the end of ch4 Fury was a pretty rude wake-up call as well.

Note: It is Monday.

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

 **Purity I**

* * *

A black abyss. That was the only way to describe the place Videl found herself in.

Yet slowly, it lifted. She felt like she was ascending, as if rising through water. As she did, she felt herself more clearly. Until finally, she once again found herself within her own body.

She slowly opened her eyes. Everything was white at first. Then her vision became clearer, and she figured out that she was in a room made of white stone.

She was on something soft. A bed. With covers drawn over her. It was comfortable. She didn't move, except for her eyes. She did not want to move.

' _Where am I?'_ She asked herself. The last thing she remembered clearly was hugging Gohan. After that, it was vague. But she did remember being moved about. Carried.

Or was she? It felt like a dream. It felt like she was still dreaming. But she was in a place she had never been before. Maybe it wasn't a dream?

' _So where did he take me?'_ She then asked herself. Even though she came equally short on this answer, she still felt better. Gohan had taken her somewhere. She was safe here. She felt safe here.

Involuntarily, her mind went back to the events just before the darkness had claimed her.

The warehouse. The men.

And Gohan…

Did that really happen? She didn't want to believe it. And yet…

With a deep sigh she pushed it back, and moved a little. Yes, her body was still intact. Somehow. She had seen her wrist snap like a twig, yet when she looked at it, it was like it was never broken. It looked, moved and felt… perfect.

And it was covered by a red wristband.

She moved the cover off her.

She was dressed in clothes she had never worn before. Brown shoes, flexible and comfortable, yet sturdy. Lose purple pants, a red sash around her waist, and a loose purple top. And Red wristbands.

She peeked underneath her clothes. No underwear.

' _Ah well.'_ Though she was a little embarrassed, she wasn't about to complain. The top was so loose that the mere act of turning sideways to climb out the bed exposed her.

Yet she didn't feel exposed at all.

There was no fear either.

All she felt was safety. And happiness. A strange, unnatural happiness.

' _Was it a dream?'_ She wondered once again. _'Am I dead?'_

She looked down at her hands again. _'I don't feel dead.'_

She looked around the room one more time. There was a large door, and it was open. Was it ok for her to walk out?

Probably, or the door wouldn't be open.

Slowly she walked out. Her flexible shoes clapped against the white tile and echoed through the halls as she moved.

This was such a strange place. The white stone of the walls floors and ceilings were carved and shaped. And the air was so thin, she felt light headed.

She walked through the hall. Many doors were shut. Some were open, and she looked inside of them. Some had beds in them. Others were storerooms. None of them had people.

Finally, she came upon a large staircase, with an open door at the top. Through the door she could see the blue sky.

She climbed the stairs and left the building.

She was on some kind of platform, completely covered in white tiles. There were a few green trees, butterflies and some birds.

"Where am I?" She asked out loud.

At her voice, she heard movement coming from behind the trees.

A man, or something that resembled a man, came into view. Videl was reminded of pictures she had seen of a genie. She was also reminded of a racial stereotype.

"Ah, you are awake." The man said kindly. He had a pleasant voice. "How do you feel?"

"I feel really good actually. Thank you." She said politely.

"That is very good to hear." The man replied. "Even though your body was healed, you were asleep for some time."

"I guess I was just really tired." She replied, smiling a little, and feeling a bit embarrassed. She looked around. For all she saw, there was nothing but blue sky beyond the edge of the platform.

"Where am I?" She then asked.

"You are on Kami's Lookout." The stranger replied.

"Kami's Lookout." She repeated. Strange, she wasn't all that surprised. She looked back to the genie. "Are you Kami?" She then asked out of the blue. Even she didn't know where that came from, and to be honest, it felt a little rude to just ask it. Yet she did it.

"That is incorrect." He replied. "I am Mr. Popo. I care for the Lookout, and assist Kami as needed." He smiled gently at her. "And you are Videl Satan. Gohan has spoken fondly of you while you slept."

"Gohan." She repeated. She felt something ignite within her chest. She wanted to see him. "Do you know where he is?" She asked Mr. Popo.

"Indeed." He nodded. And started walking. "Come. I will take you to him."

And she followed him without question. As they walked back inside, Videl looked around again, noting the many carvings in the white stone.

"Kami's Lookout." She repeated.

"Yes." Mr. Popo replied. "Gohan brought you here. The current Kami, Dende, is a close friend of Gohan."

"Of course." She thought out loud as she nodded. "It would make sense for Gods to know each other."

"No." The man next to her said. "Gohan may have extraordinary powers, but he is not a God, and does not wish to be seen as one."

"He isn't?" Now she was really surprised. "Then what is he? An angel?"

"He is an Earthling, just like you." Mr. Popo replied, still kindly, and clearly not growing tired of answering her questions anytime soon. "He has a power that even Dende could never match, but he is no deity."

"That's…" Videl shook her head. She had barely wrapped her head around him being a God. And now he was not. How can someone like that not be one?

It was hard to form a coherent thought. Her head felt fuzzy, yet clear. Empty, almost.

If it wasn't for the fact that she'd never be able to imagine a place like this, she'd think she was still dreaming. It was all like a living dream. As if she could wake up…

…in that warehouse.

She froze for a second. And had to take a deep breath, repressing the thought.

Mr. Popo halted his own stride for a moment, and silently waited for her.

Now the two were walking quietly, until they arrived at a strange door.

"We are here." Her guide announced.

Videl looked at a door, a large one, slightly ajar. Looking aside, and receiving an encouraging nod, Videl grabbed the handle, and pulled it open completely.

She walked in. She did not see Gohan, just another room. Was it a room? It looked bigger. She walked over the tiles, to what seemed to be the outside.

Mr. Popo didn't follow her in, he just remained at the door.

She walked out a little further, and looked beyond the tiles. There was nothing there. Just whiteness. She couldn't even see where the ground ended and the sky began.

She walked forward, towards the edge of the tiles.

"Careful now." A new voice sounded.

It made her jump a little. Someone was there. She had been so captivated by this place she must have walked right by him.

He was tall, and green, wearing white robes with a little red. In his hand he held a long wooden staff. And on his head were two antennas.

"I see you are awake." He said to her. "I am Dende, pleased to meet you."

' _Kami.'_ Videl found herself face to face with the one and only Kami.

She felt overwhelmed. A little frightful, yet happy.

"Greetings." She bowed to him, having absolutely no clue on what to do now, but didn't want to offend him.

"It is alright." He said to her. "A friend of Gohan's is a friend of mine."

She looked around, a little uncertain.

"Go ahead, ask." Dende encouraged her.

"What is this place?" She asked.

"This is the Room of Spirit and Time, or the Time Chamber." Dende replied. "Time flows differently in here." He glanced back at the open door. "When you close the door, that is." He smiled at her, giving a little nod to the door.

"Why would Gohan be here?" Videl wondered out loud.

"Gohan was pretty angry when he found you." Dende answered, sounding a little sad. "He needed a bit of space to himself. A place where he could unwind a little, and clear his head. It is why the door has not been shut."

"I see." Videl said simply. These things were coming at her so fast, it made her head spin, yet she could understand it all so easily. Her mind felt light, yet calm. Clear. Tranquil.

And her heart felt heavy, her emotions so intense. They seemed to lead her mind, rather than the other way around. They filled her being, yet didn't overtake her.

It was so strange. She never felt like this before. She had never been in this position before either.

"Can I go to him?" She then asked.

"No." Dende replied simply.

"Is it forbidden?" Videl wondered.

"No, but the gravity outside of this place is ten times higher." He informed her. "You would not survive."

"Oh." She looked to the white floor. Ten times the gravity.

She smiled to herself. Here she was, casually chatting with Kami. Unbelievable, yet she didn't even doubt this was real.

Kami, a friend of Gohan's.

She turned back to him. "How did you and Gohan become friends?" She wondered.

"That is a long story." Dende replied. "And Gohan is on his way here already. Another time, maybe."

"He's coming?" Videl looked, but didn't see him.

No reply. They just waited as the seconds slowly ticked by. Then she saw a blue sparkle in the white.

Within the blink of an eye, Gohan had crossed the distance, and now hovered just before her.

"You finally woke up." He said to her as a greeting.

She needed a second to convince herself he really was there. To her, he almost blinked into existence. But she already had accepted his powers were real, and moved on.

"You're the third to say that." She remarked, amused. "Did I really sleep that much?"

"A few hours, I think." Gohan replied, setting down now.

"A few hours." She repeated. "Wow, I must have really been out of it."

"Well, you did go through a lot." Gohan sated, though casually, he sounded somewhat sad about it.

Without even thinking about it, Videl moved forward. Since she couldn't quite reach his cheek, she settled for kissing him on his chest.

"I… didn't even thank you for saving me." She said as she looked up at him. "So thank you."

"You're welcome." Gohan put a hand around her neck.

Videl closed her eyes, and thoroughly enjoyed his touch. How she wished to remain like this, in the safety of his embrace. And she remembered how she had pressed herself against him before, wearing nothing but her boots and gloves that time.

"Did I…" Gohan started, but cut himself short. He sounded hesitant.

"Did you what?" She asked him.

"Did I come in time?" He asked, sounding worried now.

Videl blushed a little bit. This boy, who might as well be a God, was worried over her maidenhood.

"Yes." She replied. "You did."

She could feel him sigh in relief.

Videl heard the soft thud of boots setting down. She pressed away from Gohan lightly, and looked past him.

Another green man. Taller, and more masculine. And wearing the same clothes she was. Come to think of it, so was Gohan.

"Dende." The second man spoke. "You were right."

"Of course I was right." Dende replied, sounding a little proud.

"Come." Gohan led her to the door.

"Maybe you should stay for a bit." The second green man suggested. "You could use a little meditation. And your friend as well."

"I think that is a great idea." Dende nodded. "We'll close the door, so feel free to take your time."

"Thanks Dende." Gohan smiled at the other. "For everything."

' _Everything?'_ Videl wondered.

"You're welcome." Dende smiled at his friend, and left the place, shutting the door behind him.

Gohan looked to Videl, and grinned awkwardly. "So, here we are then." He stated, clearly not knowing what to do now.

So strange, was this the same guy who saved her a few hours ago? The same person, wrapped in gold, not thinking twice about killing seven people on her behalf.

If she hadn't seen him change with her own eyes, she couldn't have believed it.

But she did, and it drove all doubt from her mind.

"What are you going to do now?" She asked him, feeling more than a few tads curious.

"I'm going to mediate." Gohan replied, sitting down to do just that.

And Videl sat down across of him. And looked at him. Not observed, or watched, or even examined him. For the very first time, she looked at him with unbiased eyes.

He was strong. He looked strong. His arms were thick and toned, as was his neck. His chest, or what little she could see, was wide and defined, his shoulders broad.

His face hardened, yet not unkind. His closed eyes that held sadness, yet told her of joy and happiness.

His hair springy and unruly, and completely natural. And as black as her own.

Truly the body of a God.

' _But he is not a God._ ' She reminded herself. _'But if he is not, then what is he? He can't be Human, can he?'_

"Gohan?" She started, slightly hesitant, but also feeling secure in his kindness.

He opened his eyes, and looked at her.

"Are you really not a God?" She asked.

"Of course I'm not a god." He looked a bit angry, and a bit sad, but it wasn't directed at her. If he's not a God, it must be frustrating that people keep calling him one.

"Then how do you do that?" She then asked. Yes, this was something she had been wondering ever since she first saw Saiyaman in action. How **does** he do that?

"Do what?" He asked, looking rather confused.

"That light thing." She continued. The word 'trick' had been at the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it. This was no trick.

"You mean this?" He asked, holding up one hand, and formed a ball of blue in it.

It was beautiful. Videl leaned over slightly and admired it. It looked so mesmerizing.

"How do you do that?" She asked again, looking up at him.

"How do you breath?" He asked back.

She stared at him. "I'm serious." She said. "What is that?"

"It's energy." He replied. "Using it comes as natural as breathing to me."

"Energy?" She repeated, not understanding. "You have to have this energy to do that?"

He grinned somewhat, and scratched his neck. Before she would have thought he was making up an excuse, but now she could see he was merely looking for the right words to explain it to her.

"All living beings have energy." He started. "I have learned to draw upon it, and use it as a weapon."

"Then could I, theoretically, do that as well?" She asked. She wasn't trying to get him to divulge his secrets to her, just to understand him better.

Gohan looked at her with a bit of apprehension. Or was he merely wondering something. It was hard to tell.

Then he asked her something in return.

"Do you want to?"

* * *

Gohan looked at her, feeling pride as she created an energy blast of her own, and fired it from the platform.

Of course, once under ten times the gravity it crashed and exploded, but that didn't matter.

Videl learned to draw upon her energy, and so quickly too. Three hours ago she didn't even know what energy was, and now she was creating blasts.

Yes, she had talent.

But something had been gnawing at the back of his mind.

She felt… different, somehow. It wasn't just her energy either, the way she looked, the way she moved, there was something off about it. He couldn't quite place it.

Of course, he had expected her to behave a little different from before. After all, this was the first time they met since the alien attack, now nearly a week ago. In this time, she had been robbed of her home, her family, her friends, and the goodwill of the people.

And nearly got raped.

She had been cruelly ripped out of her life. Such a thing leaves its marks.

But this, he didn't expect this. He figured she'd be more frightful, and distrusting towards strangers, and even him. Especially him.

But there was no fear, no hostility at all. She seemed to be oddly cheerful.

Of course, she was still Videl Satan. While she was searching within herself for the energy, and moved to control it, he could see the familiar passion still burning brightly in her eyes. It hadn't dimmed in the slightest, it just seemed to be more contained, and less likely to lash out at her surroundings.

Before she felt hostile at all times, and often angry to boot. It was rather strange to sense her energy without these emotions.

He watched her create another ball. Likely her last, as she had spent a lot of energy now. For a moment, he let his glance wander over her figure.

It was the very first time he saw her in anything other than her usual white shirt and black shorts. Disregarding the nothing, of course.

These clothes allowed him to see her better. She was a dedicated fighter, and though small, she had the body of one.

At first sight she may seem small and scrawny, but her muscles were well developed, granting her surprising strength and durability. Something he had not missed during his time helping her.

She also had just the right amount of fatty tissue, somewhat hiding her developed muscles from view, without looking fat. When he held her earlier, after he had calmed down a little, he found himself surprised how well balanced her body was, no doubt the result of a well managed training schedule and diet.

It was such a pleasure to hold her to him. Soft, yet strong just underneath. Those men, they didn't even notice, they didn't care too. All they had in mind was their own desires. They had no idea of the fine beauty of the girl they were well on their way of ruining.

He took a deep breath, feeling his rage surfacing again.

He let his eyes rest on her body, as she threw another blast.

The colours of his own master looked rather strange on her, yet he liked it. But her top could use a little work though. It was obviously not meant for a woman, as when Videl moved her arm to throw the ball, it shifted and revealed a beautiful pink…

He blushed and shifted his gaze, wondering how he ended up staring directly at her breasts.

She probably needed something to cover that up. An undershirt perhaps? Like his own father used to wear.

He smiled as she looked back at him, breathing hard, yet her energy was still burning brightly. Her face was flushed with joy and excitement, and perhaps exhaustion. She gave him the thumbs up, which he promptly returned.

"I think I got the hang of it." She proclaimed. Before there would probably have been pride, and perhaps even arrogance in her voice. There was still a bit of pride, but it was different, somehow.

"Pretty much, yeah." Gohan agreed. "Let's take a break. I don't think you have much energy left to use anyway."

"I haven't been this tired for years." She stated, pretty much falling down on the spot.

"You hungry?" He asked. "I sure am." He hadn't eaten since breakfast, which was… how many hours ago? He wasn't sure.

"Not really." She replied. And looked rather confused as she placed a hand over her stomach. "Wait, why am I not hungry?" She asked out loud. "I haven't eaten since Thursday."

Gohan felt a pang of pity strike through him, though it left as fast as it came. "That would probably be the Senzu Bean I gave you." He replied. "Senzu beans restore your health and stamina, and makes hunger go away for some time, depends on how badly hurt you are."

"So that's why I'm not hurt either." Videl stated.

"Yes." Gohan nodded. And walked into the back. "Hope you don't mind, but I'm starving."

"You and your appetite." She shook her head, though in amusement.

He moved to get his food. She was watching him silently from the sidelines. Her energy felt calm and peaceful, yet her silent watching was making him nervous.

'Is there something wrong with her after all?' He wondered.

"Hey Gohan." She suddenly called. "I know you saved me, gave me this bean and brought me here, but how did you even know where I was?"

Ah, he didn't get around to telling that part, did he?

"Kami told me." He grinned back at her.

"Kami." She repeated. "Err… Dende, was it?"

"Yes." Gohan nodded, not interrupting his preparations. "He told me what was going on, and where you were."

"But how did he know?" She asked. "Is he omniscient?"

"Not at all." Gohan replied calmly. "He knew, because you sent a prayer to him."

"A prayer?" She repeated, looking dumbfounded, and probably trying to remember said prayer.

"It was more like a mental curse, or something." He replied, not sure himself. Dende didn't explain that part. It wasn't important in the heat of the moment. "But it was enough to get his attention. Usually he can't intervene directly, but he knew you were a friend of mine, so he contacted me, and let me handle the rest."

Videl looked speechless for a moment. "You… thought of me as a friend?"

Gohan paused for a moment, hearing the emotional tone in her voice. He didn't even need her energy to know her feelings.

"Of course." He replied. "What else would you be?"

She looked aside for a moment. "I guess I just wasn't sure." She sighed. "I have been horrible to you, haven't I?"

"If it was really that bad, I would have done something a long time ago." He reached out, and let his fingers slide through her short hair.

Greasy hair.

Come to think of it, she didn't smell all that good either.

"Why don't you go and take a nice relaxing bath?" He suggested.

She blinked. The words taking three whole seconds to sink in.

Then she scowled. Right back to the Videl he knew.

"Why, do I smell that much?" She asked defensively.

"I have a really sensitive nose." He tried. And realised that was the wrong answer.

Usually there would be an outburst of anger. Though he still saw the anger, she didn't let it burst out. Instead, she just averted her eyes.

"Fine." She sighed. And turned to take a bath.

Gohan frowned again. Something was seriously off.

On the other hand, considering everything that happened to her the last week, perhaps it would have been more worrying if there wasn't.

* * *

Videl had taken her bath, and as she didn't bring fresh clothes, she was forced to put her only set back on.

Or go naked.

Old clothes it was then. She did regret not having something to cover up her chest. If it was just Gohan, then she didn't really mind. He had seen her already. She had been naked when he rescued her, and probably until he dressed her once he brought her here.

At least, she hoped it was him, she didn't really want anyone else to have seen her skin.

Gohan had clearly finished his meal, and was now sitting against a pillar, meditating.

She walked over to him. She could hear her footsteps echo. To her left she could see the white void, stretching on until the border between ground and sky had vanished completely.

There was nothing here. Nothing but them. It unnerved her.

So she looked back at Gohan, deep in trance.

' _Always the dependable one, isn't he?'_ She thought to herself. _'He is so kind. Even though he had every right to hate me, he just didn't. He even rescued me, just because he could._

 _I guess that's why he can ride the Nimbus Cloud, and I can't._

 _He really is pure of heart.'_

She hunched down right in front of him. So focused, and so calm. His sculpted chest moved slowly with his regular breathing. It was like he didn't even notice her being here.

She smiled slightly to herself. She decided to sit down next to him, closed her eyes, and took a couple of deep breaths.

Once again, the memory of that warehouse resurfaced. But this time on purpose. Thanks to her training and experience with the police, she knew it was not good to keep repressing those feelings and memories.

The longer one represses them, the stronger they become, until one day, they can not be repressed anymore, and break free.

No, it was better to let it flow. It was not going to be pleasant. But here, under Gohan's protection, in the safety of his reach, she decided this was the time.

She let her mind go back in time.

Two events stood out.

And neither of them had to do with the actual nearly being raped part. In fact, compared those two, that part hardly bothered her at all. What she did remember was mostly just pain and helplessness.

No, it was what came just before, and just after it. Her failure at saving herself. Her strength, the one thing she had left, finally leaving her as well.

As immediately afterwards, Gohan arrived. He didn't even need to do anything, he just had to be, and everything changed instantly.

So powerful. Less a person and more an embodiment of power.

What is it like to hold such power? When he told her he had killed her assailants, he sounded sad, remorseful even. He clearly had let himself slip for a moment. Seven men gone, in the blink of an eye, crushed like bugs.

Her assailants. She recalled their faces. No a hard thing to do, since they all and one especially were burned into her mind.

Last week she had arrested them. And abused her power to vent her frustrations on them, just because she…

Something clicked in her mind.

Yes, she wanted to feel powerful.

Saiyaman's appearance had made her feel weak. She put so much effort in her job, and he did it so easily. Not strange, considering who he turned out to be.

She took it out on them.

And the appearance of the Golden God had made the whole world feel powerless. And these men, they had felt weak. That wasn't about lust, or desire, that was about power, plain and simple. Nothing quite says 'I'm more powerful than you' quite like rape. They had tried to regain their feeling of power and control by stealing hers.

In the end, she got what she had been handing out.

Make no mistake, Videl was not excusing them. They were responsible for their own actions. She simply realised that, in the end, what she had done wasn't so different.

She took a deep breath. She did the one thing she had not been able to do before. _'I am weak.'_ She told herself. _'And that is ok.'_

Her breath escaped her lips. And with it, it felt like a weight fell from her heart.

Yes. She was weak. She hid in her pride, her arrogance, her physical strength, using people as stepping stones just to give herself the illusion of strength.

But when the truly powerful rose, her illusion had shattered. Her influence, her popularity, her friends, even her own strength, it was empty.

It was time to let go.

She opened her eyes a little, and looked at the boy next to her. The one whose mere presence had overturned the world. Whose power was real.

Was she envious? Most definitely. Who wouldn't be? He was strong, good looking and intelligent. Plenty of people were envious of him, even before he revealed his divine powers.

' _Divine?'_ She asked herself _. 'But he's not a God.'_ She reminded herself once again as she let her eyes slide over handsome face. A strange feeling made itself known in her chest. One she was sure had never been there before.

' _I'm not falling for him, am I?'_ She reflected to herself. _'I can't be getting into something as cliché as a Rescue Romance, can I? Or is it Stockholm Syndrome? He did take me here without my permission, so, technically, he did kidnap me.'_

The thought made her chuckle slightly. She was well aware of the privilege she had been given, not just to be here, but to learn his powers.

She held out her hand, and sent a small flow of energy through it, making a small ball. Her energy. Her very own power. Real power.

Nothing could describe this feeling. Something she had believed to be a lie. She believed to be divine. And now it was hers. Truly hers.

She looked up once again, looking at his features. So powerful, yet so calm and relaxed.

She smiled to herself. It was mind boggling. Even more so since he wasn't a God. Even though he had such power. As did she now. _'Does that make me a goddess?'_ She thought to herself.

' _Yeah, no!'_ She shook her head, still watching the guy. He was in such a deep trance he hadn't even taken notice of her. His mind must be clear, unlike her own, where one thought after the other kept racing through. So focused.

Still smiling she just looked at him for a few moments. He looked so peaceful. So calm. So…

Did she just hear him snore?

She felt her smile melt off her face.

' _He's not meditating, he's napping...'_ She realised. And yawned.

' _Actually, that's not such a bad idea.'_ She told herself. And looked at the boy one more time. It was rather jarring, even though he said he wasn't a God, somehow, this idea had just lodged itself in her head. Probably has something to do with his enormous power, and the fact he was quite literally glowing.

And here he was now, having fallen asleep while meditating.

It was just so…

Human.

* * *

 **End of Chapter**

* * *

I'm sorry to have this cut short in the middle, but this chapter was twice as long as the other ones, so I had to cut it in half. Luckily, there was a small cut right here, so I didn't have to alter the story to make two neat parts.

I thank MrChuckMan for taking the time to help me with this chapter. It was a bit of a mess at first.


	7. Chapter 7, Purity II

**Update Note: If anyone was wondering why the website suddenly went down.**

 **It was me. Apparently.**

 **Seriously, I place two updates and suddenly the entire site goes down.**

A/N: Sorry I'm a little delayed with the upload.

I messed up my plans for future chapters, and it got all tangled up, then I moved things around so much I was no longer able to keep track of what was supposed to happen anymore.

And me starting two new series most certainly didn't help either. Especially when one crashed and burned.

Oh well, lessons were learned.

 **To Tactician:** Videl on Yamcha's level on canon? That's still very high.

 **To the people pointing out that Gohan is more powerful than actual gods:**

Yeah, but the people of the earth don't know that.

Yet.

Thank you all for your continued support.

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 **Purity II**

* * *

In the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Gohan rose from his deep, deep meditation, pleasant dream included.

To be fair, it started out as a meditation, but he must have been more tired than he thought. And his full stomach didn't really help all that much either.

For a second he wondered how Videl was doing, and made a search for her energy. It was close. Very close.

He opened his eyes, and looked down to see the side of her face, as she had put her head in his lap.

Her short hair was a mess, and her lips were ever so slightly apart.

Her top had shifted once more, once again revealing her bare chest to him, but he was a gentleman and only looked for a moment. Mostly, his eyes were just drawn to her face. So trusting, so peaceful.

Such a contrast with how he found her.

He took a deep breath to calm himself. What those men had nearly done to her was unforgivable.

Absentmindedly, perhaps to give his own torn mind a bit of comfort, he let his fingers slide over her cheek.

She reacted. First with a low, displeased mumble, then a large sigh.

Then she opened her eyes, turned to look up at him and smiled, through half closed eyes. A sleepy smile.

He let his fingers slide over her other cheek now.

"Good morning." She said, stretching out a little.

"Sorry I woke you up." He said, feeling a bit sad that their intimate moment was coming to an end.

"It's alright." She said as she stood up and fixed her top a little. "What time is it?" She then asked. There only the slightest blush of embarrassment on her cheeks. "How long did I sleep?"

"Not sure." Gohan replied, getting up himself.

Videl stretched out dramatically, letting out a high moan as she did so.

So cute. He just wanted to grab hold of her and snuggle in.

But she probably wouldn't be ok with that, even if she didn't dare refuse him.

At once his warmth and happiness was replaced by guilt.

"It was long enough, I guess." She turned back to him. Not the slightest hint of fear in her eyes. It felt good.

"I guess." Gohan agreed. He himself felt rather refreshed.

And he decided to just asked her. "While I was meditating." He started, just to start somewhere.

"Napping." She playfully corrected him.

"Before that I was actually meditating." He defended himself.

"Uh-huh." She nodded in a disbelieving way. "I could hear your 'snores of meditation' all the way from the bathroom."

"Anyway" He ignored her remark. "I was thinking, maybe I shouldn't be training you here." He stated.

"Why not?" She asked, tilting her head a little.

"Because this is pretty much a place outside of time, and if we spend an entire year in here, only a day passes outside." He said. "But we will still age, so I don't think it is a good idea to spend much more time here."

"If you say so." And she just agreed with him.

He noticed the slight uneasiness in her energy as she let her gaze wander over the nothing outside.

"Do you dislike it here?" He then asked.

"A little." She replied honestly.

"It takes some time getting used too." He said as he walked towards the door. "I spent an entire year training in here with my father, just before the Cell Games."

"Wow, that must have been rough on you." She replied.

"It wasn't all that bad." He shrugged. The year in here with Goku had many of his happier memories.

"Hey." She suddenly called. He looked back at her, and she seemed to be a little unsure of herself all of a sudden.

"Are these your clothes?" She then asked, sounding lightly. Clearly not what she intended to ask at first. "They seem a little… small for you." She plucked idly at her clothes.

"No, actually." He answered. "You didn't have anything so Piccolo materialised some for you."

"Piccolo?" She repeated, looking confused. "Materialised?"

"The big green guy that was out there with me." Gohan abridged. "He has the ability to create clothes and such."

"So you didn't actually dress me?" She then asked.

Such a weird question. Unless she believed he did, which, now that he thought about it, actually made sense, since she didn't know about that ability.

"No, he materialised them on you." He tried to put her at ease.

"I guess that explains my lack of underwear." She remarked. "Oh well, I'll take it. So you didn't notice how I… I had… kinda…" She trailed off.

He did have an idea of what she wanted to ask, and figured she was simply too ashamed to actually do it. "You wet yourself." He stated evenly.

"How do you know?" She asked sharply, suddenly reminding him of the Videl from before. "Did you… see?" She added, some of her newfound insecurity was clearly returning.

"No, but I do have a very sensitive sense of smell." He replied. Indeed he had noticed the scent of urine when he took her with him.

"It wasn't like… I was… I didn't…" She started stammering, barely able to form words. If only he could tell what she was thinking.

Gohan frowned. It hurt to see her like that, to be so clogged up over such a small matter. Though he had to admit, her being less aggressive was nice in its own way; however, it was too much. He was finding out that he preferred her aggressiveness over what she was rapidly becoming in this moment.

Without thinking about it he grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her towards himself, cherishing her against his chest.

He could feel a strange spike in her energy, and decided to chalk it up to her being taken by surprise.

"It's nothing to be ashamed off." He said gently. "You were in a pretty tight spot after all. And under a lot of stress." He added the last part with some bitterness. Once again that feeling of anger resurfaced.

"Yeah, I guess." She replied half heartedly.

She sniffed against his chest, and for a moment he thought that she was going to cry. But she didn't.

"Hey." He started gently, not sure how to start this up. But he thought of something. Something he probably should have done earlier. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

"That's ok." To his surprise, she denied him. "I'm fine."

Gohan didn't really believe her. The memory of her clinging to him for dear life resurfaced. He knew she had been through a lot these last few days, coming to a peak in that warehouse.

"It's ok, you can talk to me." He tried to encourage her.

"I'm fine." She repeated. "Don't worry about me." And she pushed away from him, so he let her go.

For a moment he wondered what to do. On one hand, he didn't believe she was fine. On the other, forcing it out of her would probably do more harm than good. So he decided to let it go. For now.

Instead, he moved to leave the time chamber.

He opened the door, and Videl followed him silently. It wasn't a pressing silence, he could feel that she was still curious about this place. She was clearly still taking it all in.

And from the corner of his eye, he was watching her. She was so calm. Oddly so, even. But then again, he was no psychotherapist. He didn't really have a grasp on what would be a normal reaction.

"This place is amazing." She stated. He could see her eyes wandering over every detail.

"Yeah, it is." He agreed, and led the way outside.

Piccolo and Dende were standing near the edge of the lookout, overlooking the world. A slight breeze swept over them. It must have been enough to bring Dende's attention back to his local surroundings, as he noticed two approaching from behind.

"Ah, you're back." Dende turned to them. "And you look well." He addressed Videl.

"I guess I needed a bit of a break." Gohan replied. It was true, his short time in the time chamber, isolated from the world and its troubles had done him well.

"She looks stronger than before." Piccolo noted. "Have you been teaching her?"

He looked back at Videl, who was using her hands to hold her top together.

"Just a little." He replied. "By the way, would you mind giving her a shirt? The top is a bit… revealing for her taste." He asked, even though he had yet to hear a single word of complaint from Videl.

But the slight smile betrayed her, telling him she would like to have another piece of clothing.

"Fine." Piccolo sighed, as Gohan knew he was unable to resist a request from him. "What did you have in mind?"

"Just a shirt underneath the top will do." Gohan replied. Piccolo nodded and pointed at Videl. And a red shirt materialised underneath the purple top.

"You know, this is pretty much unheard off." The tall Namekian commented. "Usually, only people who are accomplished Martial Artists get to train up here, but she hasn't even climbed Korin Tower."

"I guess that's true." Gohan chuckled. And then an idea just fell into his head. "Hey Videl, how would you like to climb Korin Tower?" He then asked.

"What's Korin Tower?" She asked, not entirely unexpected.

"It is the tower of Korin." Gohan said, earning him a bit of a scowl. "If you climb the tower, Korin may give you the Sacred Water, and you'll become stronger."

"Just like that?" She asked. "Did you do it?"

"Not me, but my father did, as did many of my friends." Gohan replied.

"Alright then." She went along with it. "Where is this tower?"

Gohan pointed down. "Directly below the Lookout." He replied.

Videl joined the other three at the edge, and looked down. "We are really high up, aren't we?" She asked. The answer was obvious, but an idea was forming in her head.

"Quite." Piccolo said.

"You'll catch me, right?" She asked, looking at Gohan with those bright and trusting eyes of her.

"Of course." Gohan replied without thinking. Then his brain caught up. "Wait, did you say catch?"

Videl didn't bother to respond. She just closed her eyes, and let herself fall forward, into the depths.

Gohan watched her go. She hadn't hesitated at all.

"She is a brave one, I give her that." Piccolo admitted.

* * *

This was intense. The wind rushing past her face as she reached terminal velocity. She had always wanted to go skydiving, but she never really found the occasion to go.

And calling this place high was like calling the moon a bit far away, or Gohan somewhat strong.

Even now she couldn't see the ground, just an ocean of white clouds below her.

"Hey." She heard next to her. Gohan was now falling besides her as well. "Why'd you just jump off like that?"

"I felt like it." She grinned. "I've always wanted to do something like this. I always imagined it feeling like flying."

She stopped for a moment on her own words. "Wait, can you teach me how to fly?"

"I could." He replied. "But I won't. Or climbing Korin Tower wouldn't be much of a challenge."

"But afterwards?" She continued.

"Sure." He nodded.

Oh, she was so happy, all the words in the world would fail to describe it.

Her eyes closed again, she just enjoyed the fall, trusting Gohan to catch her before she hit the ground.

And she fell.

And fell.

And fell.

A few minutes later, she felt a small prod in her side. She opened her eyes again and looked at her protector. He merely pointed down.

There, far below, but rapidly growing, was something. A building. Another floating platform perhaps?

"That is the top of Korin Tower." Gohan informed her. "And the halfway point down."

"Halfway?" She repeated. Now she saw the thing pass in the blink of an eye.

"Hang on a second." Gohan said, and promptly stopped his descent.

"TO WHAT?" She yelled, but he was already out of earshot. She turned so her back was in the wind, and saw him levitate towards the dome.

Ah well, back to enjoying the fall, she supposed. It wasn't like Gohan was going to let her fall to her death.

She noticed something odd. A white pillar, attached to the dome, and stretching past her, as far as she could see.

"Don't tell me I have to climb this?" She said out loud. But she knew it was true. Gohan said it was directly below the Lookout, so this had to be it. Besides, he had called the dome the top of the tower, so there was no room for doubt.

She eyed the pole as she kept falling. _'This is going to be a long climb, isn't it?'_ She closed her eyes again, and went back to enjoying the fall while she still could. Which also lasted several minutes.

All too soon, she felt someone take hold of her. It was Gohan, it pretty much had to be, so she waited with opening her eyes until she was sure they had completely stopped.

And only a few seconds later, she heard the soft tap of feet hitting the ground. Feeling a bit playful, she opened her eyes, looked at Gohan, and put on her most childish voice.

"Are we there yet?"

It made Gohan laugh so hard he nearly dropped her.

"I'm there, but you're going back." He replied.

"Ow." She pouted. And jumped from his arms. It was now that she took a look around. Nearby stood the foot of the tower, and all around it were tents. What did they call one of those again? Tipi?

There were people here too. They looked at the two of them, but not with as much surprise as she would have thought. They did just fall from the sky after all.

"Greeting strangers." A man addressed them. He was huge, way bigger than her father was. And on the right part of his chest he had a scar in the shape on an X. "What brings you to the Sacred Land of Korin?"

"He did." Videl pointed to Gohan, who grinned in return.

"Wait, hold on." Videl saw Gohan observe the man in front of them. "Are you Bora, by any chance?"

"You know me?" The man asked surprised. "I do not recognise you."

"No, but you knew my father, Son Goku." Gohan happily stated.

"Goku?" The man, Bora, repeated. "That is not a name that I have heard in a very long time." He made a large smile. "And he is your father? How is he doing?"

Gohan took a slightly more gloomy face. Come to think of it, Gohan had never talked about his father. And why did the name of Son Goku sound familiar? Did she hear it somewhere?

"He died a while back, during the Cell Games." Gohan replied. "He gave his life to protect the planet."

"But I thought you killed Cell." Videl asked without even thinking.

"I did." Gohan replied, not even blinking. So cold. For a moment she was reminded of the picture back in warehouse. That horrible wrath.

"Could he not be revived with the Dragon Balls?" Bora then asked.

' _Dragon Balls?'_

Gohan merely shook his head. "He had been revived already, and the dragon can not bring back the same person twice." He replied. "It is alright though, he is now off on a new adventure in the afterlife, and one day, I will join him there, and tell of my adventures here on Earth." He grinned. "Hopefully sometime next century or so."

Videl chuckled softly, and Bora just laughed out loud. "That's the spirit!" He said jovially. "But look at me, wasting your time. You must have a purpose for coming here, right?"

"She's going to climb Korin Tower." Gohan pointed to Videl, who shyly waved.

"Is she now?" Bora seized her up. "Then perhaps you would allow me to give you a parting gift? Normally we do not do this, but for the son of Goku I can make an exception."

"What kind of gift?" She asked, feeling curious.

"Food and water for the climb." He replied. "It is a long way up, you know?"

"Oh I know, I just fell down the entire tower." She looked aside at the black haired boy and tried to imitate his voice. " _Hey look, see how far it goes, you're going to climb all the way back up._ "

"I did not say that." Gohan tried.

"No, but that was pretty much what it felt like." She returned. And cast one more look into the sky. She couldn't even see the top. "Do you really think I can climb all that way?" She then asked, before Gohan could try to defend himself more. That was just a jest anyway.

"I'm… not sure." He then hesitantly told her.

"You're not sure." She repeated.

"If I knew for sure you'd be able to do it, then there wouldn't be any meaning to it." He then said.

She frowned for a bit, and looked up again. "Alright, if you say so." She found herself agreeing. It wasn't like she didn't think this could be a bad idea, but she was just anxious to see if she could.

Eager to find her limits and push them further. To have a taste of her new, true, strength.

"By the way." Gohan addressed Bora. "Just water will be fine. She has had a Senzu Bean not long ago."

"I see." He nodded. "A few skins of water it is then." He said to the people behind him, who promptly went on their way, probably to get said skins.

"Why would you make an exception for me?" Videl asked. It was a question she had never asked before. It was something she never thought before. Up until now, she had only asked why when there **wasn't** an exception made for her.

Before she had been Videl Satan, rich and proud and egoistical. And she expected people to bow to her will.

But now, all of her wealth was gone. Her name was garbage. And she was broken.

To see a stranger give her something, for no other reason than generosity, it was something rather new.

"I owe Goku a debt I can never repay." Bora said, putting his left hand over the mark on his chest. "He gave me my life. Quite literally. He made a wish on the Dragon Balls, and restored my life to me. He gave me a second chance."

Gohan smiled at him. "I see you haven't wasted that chance." He noted, looking around at the small tribe.

He smiled in appreciation.

People came walking, carrying several skins with water, which they put on Videl's back.

"Thank you." She nodded, and turned to the tower. She felt Gohan's hand on her shoulder. In his other, he held something.

A small piece of metal. It looked like a hairpin of some sorts.

"Here." He said, putting it in her hand. "For good luck."

"Thank you." She repeated, putting it in her hair. She didn't exactly need it anymore, but she wasn't about to refuse it. "Alright, here goes nothing."

And thus she started her climb. First thing she noticed was how easily she could pull herself up. She was stronger than she thought she was. And definitely than she had been before.

"That is the result of your energy training." Gohan said, as if he had read her mind. "Go on, you can do it."

' _Yes, I can do it.'_ She told herself, and climbed higher.

Below her, Gohan and the tribe was watching her, until she was nothing more than a black dot on the pillar.

"She is strong." Bora complemented her.

"I know." Gohan nodded proudly. "Thank you for your help." He said to him, lifting off slightly.

"No, thank you, and your father." Bora returned. "But what are you going to do? You know you can't help her, right?'

"I know." He replied. "I'm just going to keep an eye on her." He waved, and took off.

* * *

She climbed on and on, higher and higher. She already passed some clouds, and still the top wasn't even in view. It wasn't going to be for quite some time, she knew that.

Yet she climbed on. If Gohan believed in her, then she believed she could do it as well.

On and on. Her arms started feeling like lead, her legs like useless pieces of meat.

And the sky was already darkening.

' _What time is it?'_ She asked herself, taking a small break and a drink. _'How long have I been climbing?'_

She honestly didn't know.

After a few minutes of rest, she went on.

Until it was completely dark. She decided to take the risky nap against the pillar. It was tricky, but she had found a small ledge, just big enough to lean and give her legs the rest they needed, as well as her arms, which she didn't have to use to hold on either. It wasn't comfortable, but in the last few days she had to learn to let go.

Come morning, she woke, and nearly fell backwards. In fact, she considered it a miracle she hadn't fallen yet.

And on she went. She had a slight muscle ache, but this was hardly the first time, so she pressed on.

And on.

' _By everything that is good and holy, this thing was not this high when I came falling down!'_ She mentally complained, hoping to encourage herself.

It didn't work.

So on she went. She was convinced that at this point, going down would take longer than going up.

Come evening, she learned just how wrong she was.

Besides wrong, she was also out of water.

And tired, so tired.

Yet she climbed on, forgetting about trying to reach the top, and just looking for a ledge big enough to sleep on.

And she found one, slightly larger and more comfortable than the last one. The sun wasn't going to set for another hour, but Videl had already left for the realm of dreams the moment she was sure she wasn't going to fall.

Climbing without water was lighter at first, but after a few hours she had become thirsty as well as tired.

The only thing missing was hunger.

But she did have a Senzu Bean, so that explained that.

Sighing, and taking a break after having climbed for the entire morning, she looked down for a bit. It was seriously high up.

' _How much higher is this thing?'_ She asked herself, looking up again. And she looked closer.

' _Wait, is that… is that it?'_

With renewed effort, she made her aching muscles work.

Her pace was slow, and she had lost a lot of strength over the distance.

But it really was the top, and slowly but steadily she crept up, until, finally, she could reach one of the holes above her, and with the last of her strength, hoisted herself in.

There she laid on the floor, utterly spend, yet grinning broadly because she made it.

Overcome by her exhaustion, she drifted into slumber right where she laid.

* * *

Not even a few seconds later, Gohan came floating up the hole. He couldn't help but smile proudly at the sleeping girl. She had came so far, in such a short time.

Gently, he pushed one hand under her head, lifting her up somewhat, so he could take her around the back, with the other underneath her knees. Carefully, as not to wake her up, he lifted her, and flew up.

She was sound asleep. But then, it was a really long climb. He watched her go part of the way, partly to give himself some time to think, to figure out what to do now.

When he decided on something he left his vigil to Piccolo, and left. He did a little scouting around the world, and learned about King Furry's speech. And of something more.

Now, Piccolo had contacted him telepathically, since he didn't want to miss her reaching the top, so he came back.

"Well done." He whispered. He moved her away from the edge, where he put her down again. The only reason he moved her at all was because he was worried she might roll over in her sleep, since she pretty much laid on the edge.

Afterwards, he made his way up to the main part.

"Gohan." Korin greeted him. "Not who I was expecting. Where is your friend?"

"She fell asleep downstairs." He smiled as he pointed down. Then the smiled faded away. "I guess I better get going then. If she finishes her training before I come back, could you tell her she's welcome at my house?"

"Of, course, no problem." The cat declared. "So what are you planning on doing?"

"Well, I've got a press conference in the morning." Gohan started.

"So you are finally going to clear the whole God-thing up?" Korin asked him.

But then Gohan shook his head. "No, perhaps it would be better if I didn't." He lifted off slightly, and waved. "Take care of her for me." He said, and flew off, towards the world.

Or tried to. The tower was barely out of sight when he noticed Piccolo going after him. So he waited for the Namekian to catch up to him.

"Gohan." Piccolo sounded serious.

"Is there something wrong?" He sounded worried.

"Something happened while you were watching her." He started. "It's not an emergency, but I thought you'd want to know."

* * *

After about an hour Videl woke, and felt that much better, though still very tired and thirsty.

She looked at the hole a small distance away. She figured she must have rolled over in her sleep, and counted herself very luck she didn't roll the other way.

On the other hand, she was pretty sure someone had been watching her, and perhaps even moved her. Probably Gohan.

So she made her way up the stairs, to the open part of the dome.

There she saw a cat. Holding a staff.

"Took you long enough." It said. The cat could speak. "What were you doing down there?"

"Napping, mostly." She replied with a small grin. "Are you Master Korin?"

"It was quite the climb, wasn't it?" The cat returned. "Yes, I am. Here." He threw her something. A small green bean. "I believe you are already familiar with the Senzu Beans?"

"This is a Senzu Bean?" She asked, half surprised. She had expected something a bit more… magical looking.

"Just eat it." He told her.

And she did. It tasted bland, and a little like fish.

Then a surge hit her. She could literally feel her energy being restored, and her tiredness washing away.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Korin asked. "You are here for the Sacred Water, are you not?"

"Yes, I am." She nodded. "Do you have it?"

"Of course, it's right over there." He pointed to the small pedestal in the middle of the space. "You may take it, if you can." She saw a flask on top of it.

' _If I can?'_ She mentally repeated. _'Is this a test? Oh well, on way to find out.'_ So she went over, and reached for it.

Only to be kicked in the back by the cat. It made her stumble and fall down.

She looked up, to see Korin swinging the flask at the end of his staff.

"You said I could take it." She said, a little angry. Was this guy playing a game or something?

"If you wish to drink the water, you must take it from me." Korin stated.

And she tried, but that cat was nimble.

After only a few tries, she was already out of breath.

"You waste a lot of energy, don't you?" Korin said to her, swinging the flask like bait. "We are very high up here, the air is thin. You need to regulate your breathing."

"If I control my breath, will I be able to catch you?" She asked him.

"No." He replied. "That alone is not enough. Climbing this tower has given you strength, and lung conditioning."

"Really?" She looked surprised. But come to think of it, she did feel a lot stronger than before."

"But I'm afraid you need a bit more training." The cat said. In one paw he held the staff with the flask.

In the other, a hairpin. Videl reached up to her head, but it was gone.

"Give that back!" She snapped.

"Sure." Korin replied. And threw it over his shoulder, over the edge, down the tower.

"YOU FFFFFF!" Videl watched it go down. As much as she would like to stay and share some of her favourite words, she'd rather go down and get it.

So she did.

* * *

Some time later, at the ground, Videl jumped down from the tower, getting quite a few looks from the villagers, but she didn't even notice them.

"Where is it, where is it?" She mumbled to herself, looking over the ground. Then she saw something glitter.

There it was.

She snatched it up, lodged it back on her hair, and promptly jumped to restart the climb.

"I SWEAR I WILL SKIN YOU ALIVE!" She yelled as a war cry, making her way back.

Bora had just been standing there in silence, watching her go. "That was… odd."

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL!" Videl screamed at the cat, only slightly out of breath.

"What?" He then asked. "You don't appreciate the extra training?" He smiled at her. Or at least, she hoped it was a smile. "Coming up here took you more than two days, but just now you made the round trip within seven hours. Talk about progress."

"I did?" Videl looked at her hands. "Wow, I really did." Realisation dawned on her.

"Well then." And the flask was swung like bait once more. "Let's try that again."

* * *

Evening had come and gone. It was nearly completely dark now.

By now she could keep going, not getting out of breath every few moves. She could see that cat move, she could anticipate his next ones.

And still she just couldn't get hold of that flask.

Korin was just too fast.

She was taking a break, which mostly consisted of her sitting her on the ground at the edge, leaning against the railing, with her legs swinging freely.

She looked down, and could see the familiar sea of white clouds that she had seen on her fall earlier.

The sky above her was donned with bright stars, far more than she had ever seen before herself. Only to her far right there was some hint of daylight left.

Within a few minutes that too would be gone.

Something moved above her head, blocking out the light of the numerous stars. The flask, on the end of the stick, held out to bait her.

She made a half hearted grasp at it. Korin didn't even need to move the flask to prevent her from taking it.

"Come on then." He said to her. "You'll never be able to take it if you keep sitting there."

"It's no use." She sighed. "I can't do it."

"Of course you can." Korin objected. "You climbed the tower by your own strength. There are few people who can boast that."

"Barely." She returned. "And I only did it because I thought I was nearly there the whole way. Had I known at the start it would take this long, I'd never have tried it."

"And then you would never have reached this place, and never had a shot at drinking the sacred water." Korin added.

"I can't get it anyway, so what's the point?" She returned.

Korin withdrew his staff, and shook his head. Thanks to his ability to read minds, he had an idea of what was wrong.

"How about you take a good night's sleep?" He suggested. "You'll feel better in the morning."

"Maybe." She replied, but stood up nonetheless.

"Oh, and one more thing." The ancient cat continued. "Don't go comparing yourself to Gohan. That kid not only has a talent unlike I've ever seen before, he also has been training for most of his life already. Even Kami himself would feel inadequate next to Gohan. So don't let it get to you, ok?"

"Yeah." She gave him a little smile, and left for the bed.

Of course, Korin didn't really expect anything else.

Her spirit had broken. She was going to need more than just a bit of encouragement.

Up until now she had been burning on Gohan's presence, on his encouragement and belief in her. But after several days of climbing, only to be unable to get what she came for, she had finally ran out of fuel, and the fire within had started to die down.

Gohan had believed, by training and getting stronger, she'd be able to move on from that feeling of powerlessness. But if she didn't have the will to keep fighting, she would not grow.

And that will was dying.

Accepting her weakness had allowed her to let go of her illusion of strength, but also opened up the danger of surrendering to said weakness.

For now, the only reason she was still trying was because she had literally nothing else to do.

* * *

Four days.

That's how long she had spent with Korin.

And at the end of the third, he insisted she'd go back down and climb the entire tower again.

Of course, aside of sleeping, she also spend some of her time sitting at the edge, contemplating her life. Korin, who knew what troubled her mind, let her do so. She may have accepted how her life had changed all of a sudden, she still had trouble processing it all.

But at the end of the fourth day, after six or seven days in total, she finally managed to grasp the flask.

"I did it!" She shouted triumphantly.

"Congratulations." Korin clapped for her.

She opened the flask, and drank. Finally, the power of the Sacred Water. The incredible rush of power…

…

… was not there.

"I don't feel any different." She commented.

"Of course not, it's just ordinary tap water." Korin told her.

"TAP WATER?" She echoed.

"Yes, that is what I said." He replied.

"Where is the real Sacred Water?" She then asked.

"I have no such thing." He dashed her hopes.

"So I spend a week trying to get this water, and now you tell me you don't even have it?" She could feel her anger bubbling up.

"Why do you want the Sacred Water?" Korin then asked.

"To become stronger." She replied without missing a beat.

"Have you not become stronger?" He then asked.

"Well, yeah." She replied, still quite angry.

"The water is merely a visual, a goal to strive towards." Korin explained. "What makes you stronger is the training. And your power has multiplied."

Realisation hit her like a ten ton truck. He was right, she had been forcing herself to improve in order to gain the water.

"Since the water turned out to be just a trick, allow me to give you something real instead." Korin said, and walked to the edge.

Videl followed.

At the edge, the cat drew a deep breath. "Come to me, Nimbus!"

"Nimbus?" She repeated. That sounded awfully familiar.

And indeed, a golden cloud appeared before her.

"This here is a Nimbus Cloud." Korin told her.

"Doesn't that belong to Gohan?" She then asked.

Korin nodded. "Gohan has one, yes, but this one is now yours."

"But…" She stammered, feeling a little overwhelmed. "But I can't ride it. You have to be pure of heart to ride it, don't you?"

"Indeed." Korin nodded patiently. "But Nimbus Clouds can do more than just give pure hearted people rides, you know? They can carry things for you, for one. When it is hot, and the sun is burning down mercilessly, a Nimbus Cloud can give you some shade. They can water your garden, and when you are lonely, keep you company."

"Wow." With each statement, her wonder grew.

"You see, they are very useful to have, even if you can't ride it." Korin concluded. "But of course, if you don't want to have it, I won't force it on you."

"Wow." Videl repeated. She stepped towards it, and reached out. She had expected her hand to go through, and this was the reason she did it in the first place.

Yet her fingers met with something else.

Something solid.

' _But that is not possible.'_ She breathed to herself. Yet she continued. She put her other hand on it as well, and lifted herself up.

And sat down.

* * *

"Well, that's a surprise." Dende commented, watching Videl leave the tower on the Nimbus. "How is she able to do that? She couldn't sit on the Nimbus before, could she?"

"No." Piccolo replied simply. "Before, she had her arrogance, formed by her pride and greed. These were the sources of the evil within her. But now those have been ripped out by the root. It was not a pleasant experience, and the road ahead may be difficult, but she has a chance to become a better person. The question is, will she take it?"

"I'd be more worried about how she will take the changes that have been going on." Dende stated. "A lot happened while she was gone."

* * *

From a distance, someone had been watching the tower. He had been for a few days now.

Then a tiny little golden streak departed from it.

Only one thought formed in the head of the fat samurai.

"Can I finally go back now?"

* * *

 **End of Chapter**

* * *

If you feel like this was short, I would like to point out that this is my longest chapter yet.

Next chapter we will pick up where ch5 left off.

Fun fact;

I wrote the most of Purity chapters in a single go. That's nearly nine thousand words. In one go. When I was done, I realised it was half past one in the night. And I had to get up again at seven.

So that was fun.

But completely worth it.

For those wondering how I came up with this story, I have a little something to share.

This story…

(pause for effect)

…was an alien invasion story at first. But Gohan was simply too powerful, and no matter what I did, it was either forced or way too short.

I thought, wait, wouldn't that mean that Gohan's power is now public knowledge?

Then I looked up a few pictures of Super Saiyans, and I thought, man in real life, a Super Saiyan would be really scary, wouldn't it?

Then the two ideas met, and had a beautiful baby.

And here we are.

Thanks for reading, and please, leave a review with your thoughts. I find it keeps me sharp, and hey, maybe you'll think of something I hadn't thought of.

And special thanks to MrChuckMan, for helping me sort out this chapter, and beta-reading.


	8. Chapter 8, Reflection

A/N: I think I'm going to slow down the pace of my updates. I'm uploading faster than I can write, and I like having a bit of wiggle room, in case I change my mind about something and need to a previous chapter for it to fit. It happens all the time.

 **To RenegadeForLife:** I have an in-universe and an out-universe reason for not having Gohan do a press conference immediately. In-universe, Gohan didn't think it would escalate like that.

Out-universe, well, I could have done that, but then I wouldn't be able to write this story.

And rest assured, he is going to take a much more active role from here on. For better of for worse.

Also, these chapters are going to be fairly Sharpner and Erasa heavy. I thought of cutting them back a little but decided not to. They are main characters just as much as Gohan and Videl are.

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

 **Reflection**

* * *

A few days earlier, on Tuesday. Just yesterday Gohan had changed from human to god right in the middle of the classroom.

And today, Sharpner and Erasa barely escaped with their lives.

The male blonde stretched himself out. The sore spot in his side was becoming darker already. By tomorrow it would most certainly be a bruise. Only the worst one of several.

But it was worth it.

He was in his home, sitting on a chair by the table. From here he could see the other blonde laying on the couch with her eyes closed. Having run out of adrenaline, she threw down her bag, fell on the couch and had not moved since.

He smiled to himself, remembering her excited face, her blue eyes sparkling. A lighter blue than Videl's, he realised. He never really noticed that. Despite having been friends with her for just as long as he was with Videl, he hadn't bothered to pay attention.

Then again, he only noticed Videl's particular shade of blue when he started to crush on her just three years ago.

Videl. He wondered where she was now. Even at the time he knew publicly disgracing her wasn't really the best thing he could have done, but now that his feelings of pain and anger had settled somewhat, he actually found himself becoming worried for her.

He looked up at the girl who was still here.

Erasa. Who was still in the exact same position as she passed out in.

He stood up and walked over to her. He sat down by her legs, barely on the edge, and looked down at her figure.

Erasa was much lighter than Videl, despite being almost a full head taller. But then, Videl had muscle development, where the only developed parts of Erasa were her chest and her hips.

And quite nicely too. But Sharpner was a bit of an Amazon Chaser. He liked strong girls, which was how he supposed he ended up falling for Videl.

He reached out and gently took her hand into his own. Her thin fingers rested in his own strong ones.

Yeah, Erasa had a completely different figure from Videl.

And yet, they were somewhat alike. They had to be, the two had been best friends for such a long time. And he clearly recognised Videl's influence on her when she punched a guy in the face, and when she grinned up at him in glee.

Ah, Erasa. He had never taken her for a fighter, but thinking back, the girl had always been rather strong of will as well.

Like how she insisted that Gohan would be eating with the three of them, despite the protest of the other two.

Come to think of it, why did she do that? Surely it couldn't have been to just be nice to the new kid? In hindsight, Sharpner was rather glad she did, since they were now friends with the Golden God himself, but she couldn't have known that at the time.

He shook his head. No use in thinking that now.

"The couch isn't very comfortable, you know?" He said softly to the motionless girl. "Maybe you should lie on the bed?" No reaction, of course, but he didn't expect one. "You know what? If you don't reply, I'll move you to the bed." He continued. "I'm not going to undress you though, I ain't pulling the pin on that grenade."

He chuckled softly to himself. Then he got up.

"I guess that settles it then." Having decided so, he picked the girl up bridal style, and carried her to his parent's bedroom, where she had been staying. There he laid her on the bed, and removed his arm from his legs, but kept his arm around her back, keeping her somewhat upright.

"By the way." He started. "Why are you pretending to sleep anyway?"

"Aw." She opened her eyes a little. "You don't find it cute?"

"A little." He admitted with a smile.

"Maybe I just want to be spoiled a little." She teased him.

"A little?" He returned. And sighed. He moved his other arm around her torso as well, with his hand in her neck, and pulled her up slightly.

"Hey, what are you…" Erasa protested until her voice was muffled in his shoulder.

A hug.

For a second there she thought he was going to force a kiss on her.

She had both her hands against his chest, but not actually pushing.

"I'm just glad you're ok." He said softly, hugging her a little tighter.

"Don't worry about it." She replied, now pushing away from him, but he didn't let her. "I'm fine. Now let me go."

He didn't.

"I need hugs too, you know?" He then stated.

She hesitated for a second. Then she found herself wrapping her own arms around his torso.

"Take your time."

* * *

Somewhere between Korin Tower and Golden City, Gohan was making excellent time. He had spent some time watching over Videl, though not actually watching her. He was mostly just thinking about what to do now.

He was certain his action back at the warehouse was going to leave some marks. The question was how much. How did the world react? And what would be wise to do next?

Having these questions, but no answers, he decided that sitting on the Nimbus watching Videl climb wasn't going to anything for him either.

He needed to do something, and whatever it was, he needed to do it fast.

And he had an idea of where to start.

Videl used to be very rich, owning literal billions.

Sure, the mansion was burned down, but there was no way this would bankrupt them.

So where did it all go?

* * *

At the Satan… no, Golden City Police Department, an elderly man sat at his desk, going through the massive pile of paperwork on it.

It just kept growing, no matter how much he did. There was just no way he could do this all by himself. But all of his assistants had quit, or simply stopped showing up. Most of these were either reports of crime, or had to do with the city's sudden change in name.

He was going to have get used to that new name. And he just stopped accidentally writing Orange Star City too.

He was getting too old for this. Perhaps it was time to pass on his place as chief and just retire.

Throwing his papers down, he stood up. As hard as it was, he was going to have to cut some corners. Reports would have to be filed away, to be looked at later, name changes should be handled by the mayor, but those just ended up on his desk instead.

As if there wasn't enough to do already with the return of the Golden God. And they had little enough people as it was.

More than half the force was gone now, the other half focusing mostly on the parts of the city that were deemed more important.

As such, cops were going down the street making sure no one was speeding, and further down that very street there was a rape attempt in broad daylight just this morning.

Girl got away though, and took a few of her assailant's teeth with her.

But most didn't go that way. Forget chaos, certain parts of the city were becoming lawless areas.

The worst part of it all? There were no hardened criminals left in the city. All had fled the day the Golden God returned.

Most of these crimes were made by average citizens. People who had been driven to madness and desperation.

The crimes reflected that. Gone were the planned and organised raids that one plagued the city. Replaced by spur-of-the-moment robberies, store thefts, break-ins, muggings, assaults, harassments, even manslaughter.

Not at all helped by all the people who didn't need to resort to such measures had already left the city as well.

The chief walked down the stairs, to take a break and get himself some coffee. He also headed down to the front desk, to catch up on the latest happenings, and have a little chat. He had to put a lot of effort in trying to keep the people he still had left. Even if he couldn't promise them they would still get paid. He believed so, but he didn't have certainty, and he wasn't going to lie to them.

Most were here out of a sense of duty, but most also had families of their own. What is duty compared to the needs of one's family?

If only Videl was still here. She was effective, able to take in the toughest of criminals, keep the confidence of the people and had some sense of responsibility.

So what if she wasn't modest about it? It worked, and that was what mattered.

By the time he tried to reach her by her wristband, she had already left it behind, and ran.

Yes, the man was feeling worried for the girl. He had known her personally for quite some time now. Despite her arrogance she was a great asset to the force, and always willing to help. Sure, she complained often, but never actually refused anything.

She did not deserve the backlash she got.

Even the order to hunt both her and her father down was passed from the higher-ups, and there was little he could actually do against it. It was the reason he was so late in trying to contact her.

But she and her father had vanished, and there was little he could do for her now.

He was brought out of his musings when he saw a spot of sunlight move across the ground. Rapidly. Other spots were doing so as well.

But it was cloudy today. There had not been any sunlight at all. And it shouldn't move like this either.

Unless…

As fast as his old legs could carry him he sped down the stairs, and on the ground towards the entrance of the building.

Just in time to see a figure of brilliant golden light walking towards the front desk. The one attending it was frozen to the spot.

More officers came running, also having noticed the light, and put one and one together. Some had their handguns drawn, though aimed at the ground with the finger off the trigger.

It was mesmerising, to see a being made of light standing here, in glory undimmed.

The Golden God himself.

He had heard the stories, but they did him no justice.

Before he scoffed at the notion of a deity, but now that he had seen with his own eyes, he might just want to…

Believe.

Then the light started fading away. His hair stopped glowing golden, and turned to a pale blonde. His eyes became less piecing, and a little dull, but remained teal. His skin seemed to darken, as did his purple outfit, though that might just be because the entire room was no longer bathed in light.

"Greetings." He said. It was shocking. Not because there was anything weird about his voice, but because there wasn't. One would almost expect him to have some deep bass, or have an echo, or perhaps many voices speaking as one.

It was just so normal, it caught everyone off guard.

"I am looking for whoever is in charge." He asked of them.

"That would be me." The chief stepped forward.

The figure nodded at him. "I have a few questions, and perhaps you could give me some answers." He said.

One of the officers, a younger one, had made a few steps forwards, and now raised his gun to aim at the Golden God.

"Son Gohan." The officer said. "I hereby place you under arrest for the charges of instating riots, attempts to undermine the government, causing mass panic and property damage, and sevenfold manslaughter."

Even the God had to blink a few times at that one. Then he turned back to the chief, a small smile on his lips, and pointed to the courageous officer. "I don't know how much he earns, but something tells me it is not enough."

The chief silently agreed. Though the man was revered and admired, the Golden God should, technically, be a wanted criminal by the law.

"Put that down." He said to the officer. "We all know bullets have no effect on him."

"But we can't just leave him be." The man replied, though he did put away his handgun.

"I'm afraid we do not have much of a choice at the moment." The chief replied with a heavy heart. "What can I do for you?" He asked politely.

"There is a matter I want some insight in." The blonde man replied. "When his lies were revealed, all of Hercule Satan's assets were seized. That is a several billions worth, and includes the donations meant for various charity programs. But where did it all come from? And where has it gone?"

This made the chief scratch his chin for a second. Come to think of it, he didn't really know either. "I know there was a bit of a legal battle, but I was quite busy at the time."

"Could you find something out for me?" Gohan continued. "Or perhaps tell me who could?"

"I think we should be able to dig it up." The chief stated with certainty. "It's going to take a little time though."

"I see." The other nodded. "Then could you at least give me a list, for now. Of what the charity was for?"

"Most certainly." The chief nodded. "It'll take but a few moments." He gestured to the desk, where the person attending it was still frozen to the spot. A spot which just so happened to have a computer and a printer.

He also waved the other officers away, to go back to their duties. Having to bend to the will of a criminal, no matter how the public viewed him, it didn't settle well with him. But right now they didn't have much of a choice.

At least Gohan seemed to be amused and perhaps even impressed when one policeman tried to arrest him.

Finding information on the charities was a simple matter of a few keystrokes.

He promptly printed the list out, and handed it to Gohan.

"Thank you." He nodded. And looked it over. "I think I'll go and have a personal look." He stated. "I should be back somewhere in the evening."

"We'll try to have the information you're looking for." The chief promised.

"Thank you." He nodded again, and calmly walked out. Outside that light returned, and a golden mist enveloped his body. Then, with a flash, a golden beam shot into the sky.

* * *

Still in his Super Saiyan, Gohan was making his way across the planet, towards a certain place in the western desert.

Only a few weeks ago there had been a devastating earthquake, one that for once wasn't caused by him or one of his friends, which had destroyed several villages.

Mr. Satan was one of the main investors in rebuilding the homes and keeping the people supplied, mostly with food and water.

But now, with his flow of money gone, how were things going?

When he arrived at the first village, the answer was plain and simple.

Things were not going at all. The entire place was abandoned. Half constructed buildings were left in a hurry.

From the looks of this place, it was promptly abandoned a week ago. The villagers, having no home, no supplies, and now no longer having the promise of those, moved away.

It was the first in several.

Only the last place, one the size of a small city, still had people. All of them, in fact, since this turned out to be where the people moved towards.

Dropping out of his Super Saiyan form, since he really didn't want to draw too much attention, he walked the streets.

This place was busy. Far busier than Satan City had been. And more upbeat too.

But Gohan already knew what he wanted to know. After walking around for a bit, he crossed this item off the list, and made to leave.

Until he noticed a rather distressed energy signal, and an aggressive one close to it. Being his father's son, he was unable to turn a blind eye.

But he didn't want to waste time either, so he turned Super again and sped to the scene in question.

A man robbing another man. Both of them looked up at Gohan the moment he arrived.

The aggressor, holding a sawn-off shotgun, threw said shotgun on the ground and backed away with his hands in the air.

"I swear, I didn't really mean it." He started making excuses.

"Just leave." Gohan replied. "Crime doesn't pay."

"Yeah, thank you." The man bowed, and walked off. He also started muttering under his breath. "Criminals have been running around for days, I try one little mugging and I run into the freaking Golden God. That's it, I'm going back and work on the farm like mommy wanted me too."

Though it was said under his breath, Gohan still heard it perfectly fine, thanks to his Saiyan hearing.

He flew up again, into the sky. And he smiled as he did.

It wasn't a bad person, just someone having a bad day.

* * *

Erasa woke from her slumber. Wow, she actually slept. Her little fight must have exhausted her more than she thought.

She looked aside to the nightstand next to her, and found a glass of water.

Looked like Sharpner had come to check up on her.

It made her smile a little. And come to think of it, she was indeed quite thirsty, so she drowned the glass in one go.

Then she moved on to shifting her clothes a bit. There was a reason people didn't like to sleep fully clothed.

Well, at least she was still fully clothed when she woke up.

She slapped herself on her cheeks. _'Don't think like that.'_ She berated herself. _'Sharpner would never do that to you. He let you in when you showed up unannounced and fought for you without thinking twice.'_

Indeed, even though Erasa didn't like violence, seeing Sharpner break someone's nose to protect her did hold a strange charm. Even if it didn't quite work out and she ended up being the one who had to bail him out.

She actually smiled at that last part. It was kind of a blur, especially after the adrenaline took over, but she didn't think she had actually been scared at any point. She did remember punching someone in the face.

When faced with a fight/flight/freeze, she actually ended up with fighting her assailants.

She never pictured herself being the type to choose fight.

Then again, she did spend a long time with Videl and Sharpner. They must have rubbed off on her.

Sharpner. He may not be as strong as Videl, but he was also second to Videl only. Videl may have been the one to become the WMAT Junior Champion, but she had to take Sharpner on in the semi-finals.

Even after being beaten down by four guys, Sharpner jumped up and was ready for round two. Erasa on the other hand had to lean on him or she'd have collapsed, having exhausted herself within a few seconds. There was a large difference between the two of them.

And yet, the knowledge of him having been here while she slept didn't bother her in the lightest. She just felt cared for.

* * *

Sharpner was sitting on his bed, watching the TV. His room had changed a little since Erasa moved in. He told her to make herself at home, but he didn't think she'd take him literally.

Erasa had pretty much marked his bedroom as her territory, putting her clothes in his wardrobe, which was half empty anyway, some makeup on his desk and hung up her favourite poster over his.

She also started putting small teddy bears in various places, such as on top of the wardrobe, in the window, on his nightstand and the corner of the bed.

Sharpner had to admit, the girly touch on his room had done wonders. It just felt so much lighter and cosier. It was true what his grandfather once said. It takes a man to make a house, but a woman to make a home.

He leaned back, relaxing a bit, and rested his eyes in the TV without really paying attention.

It had news on Gohan, who was seen flying around various places of the world, including Golden City, but no one knew what he was doing, only speculation.

Wild speculation at that. Someone was suggesting Gohan was seeking the best place to deploy his army and start his invasion of the world.

As if someone that powerful would need an army.

"Hey." He heard a familiar voice. Erasa walked in, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Slept well?" He asked, not taking his eyes off the TV.

"I guess." She shrugged. "I can't believe I actually fell asleep."

"Well, fighting is intense and tiring, especially if you're not used to it." Sharpner reasoned.

"No kidding." She returned. Sharpner felt her crawl on the bed and lay down behind him. "What's going on?" She then asked.

"Gohan has made a few appearances around the world." Sharpner brought her up to date. "I think he's planning something."

"I guess we'll have to wait and see." Erasa replied. She took his hand, drew it back a little and tugged on his fingers. "You're pretty strong, aren't you?" She asked.

"Obviously." He replied slightly offended. "I did get a black belt, you know?"

"I guess I never really thought about it." She admitted. "But I'm glad you were there."

"Heh!" He let out a dry chuckle. "You were the one who saved my ass."

"Yeah, you were pathetic." She agreed.

"Hey?" He protested.

"So what time is it anyway?" She skimmed over it. "I'm hungry."

"Pfff." He suddenly got a thought. "You're like an animal in bed. _Pet me, play with me, give me food._ "

"You ass!" She returned, giving him a small shove.

He shrugged it off and turned his attention back to the TV. It had switched to a program on the larger companies changing names, and some shady guy saying he was Gohan's acolyte.

He felt Erasa get up behind him, then slid her arms over his shoulders. She leaned on him, her head resting against the back of his, and her breasts pressed against his back.

It made some alarm bells ring. Erasa wasn't usually this touchy-feely. Sure, compared to her two friends she was a bit more physical, but never this much.

He turned the TV off, so he could focus on her. There was something wrong.

"Hey." He said as he stroked her arm. "What's going on with you?"

"Nothing." She denied. Yeah, sure, he totally believed her. "I'm just… never mind." She cut herself off. She let go again, and pulled back. Except she grabbed his shoulders and pulled slightly.

Sharpner assumed she wanted him to lean back, so he did. He let her guide him all the way down. Right into her Pillow of Heaven.

"Ok." He said out loud. This was downright abnormal. So he pushed off with his hand on her stomach. She tried to hold on to him, but he simply overpowered her.

"What is wrong with you?" He asked directly, not caring how rude it sounded.

She didn't reply immediately. She just averted her eyes, and bit her lip. For a second he thought he made a mistake pushing her away, but she put her hand over his.

"You think I'm a bother?" She then asked.

"What, a bother?" Sharpner repeated, now sitting up straight again. "Not at all, why?"

"Because I'm… just…" She seemed to be looking for the words. "freeloading here." She then decided.

"Freeloading?" He repeated. What is going on here? "I don't mind you living here." He then replied. "In fact, I'm glad you do, you brought a little light with you."

"Oh, come now." She sounded annoyed, probably thinking he was joking.

"No, I'm serious." He replied. "I was feeling pretty lonely before you showed up."

"Well." She smiled slightly. "I knew you'd let me in."

"Of course I'd let you in." He replied. "I'm here for you." He said it without thinking. But then a painful surge shot through his chest. "Or at least, I'll try to be." He added sorrowfully.

"Hey, it was nine against two." She tried to lift his spirits. "You did what you could."

"It wasn't enough." He continued. He wasn't sure why. "Just the mere thought of them… you…" He couldn't finish it. "It hurt." He confessed.

"It didn't actually…" She started, then stopped. "Hold the fuck up!" She then swore. Sharpner was taken aback by her sudden change in tone. "I'm the one who nearly got raped here, why am I consoling you about it?"

He needed a second for that one, then realisation hit him. And a slight chuckle escaped his lips.

Meanwhile, she got up, and took place next to him on the edge.

"But I'm glad you told me." She then said. "I guess you really do care about me, don't you?"

"Yeah." He admitted. No point in hiding that.

They fell silent. Sharpner felt pressed, as if he should be saying something. And something came to mind. ' _Why am I consoling you?_ ' Her voice repeated in his mind. _'Does she want to be consoled? Is that why she really came here?'_

It did make a little sense. For some reason, one Sharpner didn't quite understand, women tended to talk about things. He also knew it helped them, somehow.

And he had been turning the conversation to himself every time.

"Were you…" He started, and had to look for the right word. "scared?"

"Not really." She replied, to his surprise. "I guess I was too busy fighting them off to be scared." She continued. "But when I think about what could have happened, I… I'm a little scared."

He put his arm around her, pulling her against his side. "Do you want to talk about it?" He offered.

Erasa was quiet for a second, then nodded. "Yeah." Looked like he guessed right. "I wanted to just walk away at first, but then those other guys cut us off." She started. Sharpner just nodded, deciding to let her ramble for a bit. "Who were those guys anyway? They looked our age. When I heard they were not going to help, I reached into my bag for my pepper spray, just in case it would go south. It wasn't like I didn't trust you or anything, but there were nine of them, and two of us."

"It's fine, I understand." Sharpner replied. "Besides, I'm glad you bought those. But why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to…" She hesitated for a second. "To hurt you. To make you feel useless, or something."

"Well, I'm glad you got those." He repeated again.

"So you've said." She replied, a little annoyed. "So anyway, I thought we were home free when you punched one in the face. It was so sudden, and it shocked me. But then one of them grabbed me, and you were too busy punching the other two."

"Actually, that guy grabbed you first, then the other two started punching me." Sharpner corrected her.

It made Erasa press her lips together, and glare at him. Then she reached up, and grabbed him by the ear. "Shut up!" She commanded.

"Ow, ok, ok, ow, I'm sorry." Sharpner half played along. She wasn't pulling that hard. "I won't interrupt anymore."

And so, Erasa told her side of the story, one which Sharpner already knew, but he understood she needed to let it out.

She told him of how she felt when they threw her against the ground, and started grabbing her pants. It made him angry just to think about it. She also told him how she poked the first one in the eye, and only then had enough room to start using her bottle.

And how much of a kick it gave her when she punched that one guy, and he actually went down.

"So I ended up taking a nap." Erasa concluded.

Sharpner wanted to say something, but thought the better of it. Erasa wasn't done yet anyway.

"I was thinking why they picked me." She continued. "Did I provoke them somehow? Did I meet them before, someplace else?"

Since she was looking down at the floor, she missed Sharpner clenching his teeth at the last part.

"Was it because I'm always dressing like…"

"No!" Sharpner stated decisively, interrupting her. It was the first time he spoke up since she grabbed his ear.

"Sharpner!" She warned, annoyed. But now she did look him in the eye again.

"No!" He said again. "I am not going to sit here and listen to you blame yourself!" He said with passion. "You didn't do anything wrong! There was nothing you could have done to avoid it! They were looking for trouble! They were looking for a victim!"

He grabbed her by the shoulders, and looked her straight in the eye.

"You will not blame yourself!" He stated. "I will not have it! You did nothing wrong. The fault is theirs, who were looking for a girl to rape. The fault is with those teens, who didn't even think twice about joining in. It's… mine." He looked aside, unable to keep looking in her large blue eyes. "For letting it go on for as long as it did. But not yours!"

She blinked a few times, not having expected this outburst.

"You did good, Erasa." He stated, looking at her again. "You did what you could. So no more thinking about what could have happened, or why. We got out, and you're ok, and that's all that matters."

She sighed, and pushed his hands off her.

"Then what should I do?" She asked him. Not angry, not sad, just asking.

"I think you should…" He started, and found himself coming a little empty. Indeed, what should she do? He didn't think about that one when he started. But hearing her blame herself for that just hurt so damned much.

"You should buy a fresh can of pepper spray." He then stated. "And take me along, so I can get a few choice items myself." He started making it up as he went. "I promise, I will never let that happen to you again." He stated with certainty. He wasn't sure where that came from.

Erasa looked shocked for a second. Then she smiled. It was a watery smile, her eyes glistening a little. And she bended forward, her forehead making contact with his shoulder.

"Thanks Sharpner." She nearly whispered.

He awkwardly put one had on her back. "For what?" He asked out loud.

It earned him a dry chuckle.

"For making it so simple."

* * *

Quite some time later, and far longer than he expected, Gohan had made a few discoveries.

Most importantly, worship of the Golden God was even stronger than before, for some strange reason. And if anything, the speech King Furry had made had only spurred them on more.

He also heard of a large cult, just south of East City, absorbing smaller cults at a rapid pace. They also had a foothold in many of the cities. The Golden Cult, they called themselves. It was said to be a group devoted to him. Gohan highly doubted they actually were.

There was also another big one forming in Golden City itself. Or simply a large group of them, since he never actually heard the same name twice.

This one seemed a few tads more dangerous. He did hear several stories about a certain man, who was said to be his disciple. Who was said to regularly speak to him in dreams and visions.

Of course, Gohan had done no such things. Which left only two, no, three possibilities.

One, the man was delusional.

Two, the man was lying.

Three, the man was tricked.

All were equally bad. Something had to be done, and fast.

In comparison, the Golden Cult, besides absorbing smaller groups, didn't actually do anything, besides pledging their allegiance to Gohan. He could afford to leave them be, for now.

First, there were still a few things left on his to-do list.

* * *

Again a little time later, Gohan took off from the police station, a large stack of papers in hand.

Details on Hercules bank accounts. It wasn't everything, but it was enough for Gohan to get a general idea.

The list of added sums was pretty long, spanning all but one of the pages, from many different sources, including donations from normal people for charity programs.

Subtractions fitted on half a page.

It was said that the money was seized in the name of the Golden God, or to be returned to Satan/Golden City.

It was a lie.

* * *

Bulma leaned back on her couch, only vaguely aware of the radio talking in the background. She had been having a lot on her mind lately. She was thinking on how to help Gohan.

She didn't need to be told who was behind the killing of those seven people yesterday. She did wonder why, until Piccolo came by with a short explanation.

Now she considered it a miracle those seven were all that died. The rage of a Super Saiyan was no joke.

And today, the King of the World had taken a stance against Gohan. Well, technically not Gohan, but the image the world was making of him. Gohan himself would applaud him, of that Bulma was certain.

"What are you doing?" Vegeta walked in, fresh from his training, topless and sweaty. But she was used to that, and didn't take notice anymore.

"I was wondering how we can convince the world Gohan isn't a god." She stated her thoughts.

"Why is that necessary?" He asked in return. "It's fine to let all of those Humans believe it, isn't it?"

"Of course not!" She stated, flaring up. "People are actually worshipping him. How can that be a good thing?"

"Gohan isn't likely to let such a minor thing go to his head." Vegeta stated with certainty. "He is better than that. And I didn't say you had to keep it that way."

Bulma paused for a moment. Vegeta was being way too calm and collected about all this. Was there something he knew that she didn't?

"Ok, what are you going on about?" She sat straight up, and invited him to sit down next to her. Of course, he did no such thing.

"There are numerous possible explanations for Gohan's powers." Vegeta started. "Magic, illusions, mutations, science experiment, training in the ancient ways, being the half blood product of an alien warrior race, have your pick." He summed up for her. "So why a god? Why a god specifically?"

Bulma opened her mouth, but didn't have an argument. Indeed, at first there had been several theories and explanations. So why did the god-theory gain so much headway. Only a few hours after Gohan's appearance it was already decided he was a god? But why? Why a god?

"Let me tell you this." Vegeta saw her asking herself these questions. "Frieza was the emperor of a large part of the known galaxy. Emperor, not god. There was a reason he did that. And it has to do with the reason the Humans are worshipping Gohan now."

"Ok, so what is it?"

"You're proud of that big brain of yours." He returned. "Use it." And just like that, he walked off.

"Hey!" She called after him, but he didn't care.

Just great, now she had even more questions that she did before.

But Vegeta was right, why does everyone claim Gohan to be a god? Even when King Furry said otherwise, people only became more vocal. As if they want Gohan to be a god.

And why didn't Frieza want to be seen as one? Surely, god was a stop up from emperor, wasn't it?

You get worshipped, people are devoted to you, you get to rule unquestioned, and people bring you offerings.

Her mind paused on that last bit.

"Offerings." She repeated. "Hold on a second…"

Off in her thoughts, she didn't really hear how the talking of the radio had gone over into a song.

A new song, dedicated to the Golden God. It wasn't all that good, but it was scraped together in a week.

 _On the Day of the Awakening, with His winds of power blowing,  
with His voice ringing through the sky, and His bright hair flowing,  
while the earth was trembling beneath Him, and the golden fire glowing,  
He returned to us his home again, only to stand and see._

 _We have forsaken Him our Saviour, He who had helped us in our need,  
passed Him off as a mere shadow, denied Him in our greed.  
He came and saw we did not wonder, how He had performed the deed,  
declared His powers to be trickery, told ourselves He couldn't be._

 _But He was kind and was merciful, did not punish us with His might,  
swept away all our transgressions, forgave us for our slight.  
He gave us the change to apologise, gave us time to set it right.  
But in His eyes He retained one question. "Why did you forget me?"_

 _Then on the Day of the Reckoning, when He saw we were still in sin,  
He took the lives of seven as, His grace was running thin.  
We have to heed to His warning now, before He does us all in,  
For His kindness fills an eternity, but so does His decree._

* * *

Having what basically amounted to a free day, Erasa and Sharpner found themselves at a bit of a loss on what to do with it.

Until Erasa had the brilliant idea of visiting the ruins of the Satan Mansion. After it was burned down, the entire area had been fenced off and ignored. No cameras, guards police or anything whatsoever.

Sharpner was against it. The less they had to do with the Satans, the better. Besides, they still had to visit a certain store. When Erasa persisted, he put his foot down.

So, naturally, after having bought Erasa a new bottle of pepper spray and Sharpner some brass knuckles, they were on their way to the ruins.

Erasa had threatened to go alone, knowing Sharpner would never let that happen. So he came along, if only to make sure nothing happened to her, loudly voicing his disagreement all the way.

"What are we even here for?" He asked yet again as they stood before the fence.

"I told you ten times!" She snapped back at him.

"No, you just keep saying you want to see it. What do you want?" He asked sharply.

"You'll see." She replied.

"No." He refused. "You will tell me."

She looked at him in defiance, but was met with the same look. No, Sharpner wasn't going to budge this time.

"Fine." She sighed. "There are a few things I'm hoping survived the fire."

"You do realise the place has been looted already, right?" He pointed out. At least he was no longer being stubborn.

"Oh, I know." She replied. "But the things I'm looking for are either hard to get or not worth much money. Like Videl's diary."

"She has a diary?" Sharpner asked surprised. He never took Videl to be someone to keep a diary.

"She doesn't write in it every day, so I guess it's more of a journal." Erasa explained. "It should in a hidden safe in her bedroom. I know the combination to it."

"And how do you know that?" He questioned.

"I pressed Videl into telling me." She replied lightly.

"Of course you did." He gave in. "Fine, let's go find that diary. You think you can make the climb over?"

"Nah." Was all Erasa said, and walked over to a nearby gate, and tried it.

It was open, to Erasa's hilarity, and they made their way over the ruins. The both of them pretty familiar with the layout of the place, but they still had a bit of trouble.

Videl's room seemed to have been dug out, for some reason. And a quick peek into her closet revealed that reason. All of her undergarments were gone. Only those. Damn fetishists.

Luckily, this also meant that finding the safe was easy. Obviously someone had tried to open it, but without success. And taking it along wasn't an option either, considering it was part of a large piece of wall.

Erasa opened the thing. The inside was still completely intact. She pulled out a book, a few boxes and a folder of papers.

"I thought we were here for the diary." Sharpner commented, seeing her shove it all in her bag.

"Oh, while we're here, I thought I might grab a few other things." Erasa replied lightly.

"That is theft." He pointed out.

"Videl won't mind." She argued. "She said I could take them whenever I liked."

"Take what?"

"Err…" She hesitated. "These." She opened one of the boxes. Glittering gold and sparkling gems met his eyes.

"You've got to be kidding me." He breathed.

"And those are all real." She continued. "I bet they'll fetch a high price."

"When Videl said that, she meant to borrow, not to sell off." He felt the need to point out.

"She won't care." Erasa replied. "Have you ever seen her wear jewellery?"

"Well…"

"Exactly." She cut him off. "And we need the money to live."

"It is theft, Erasa." He said again.

"Dammit, why are you being such a stick up?" Erasa became annoyed. "You're sounding like…" She wanted to rant, but stopped halfway, realising what she was saying.

"Gohan?" Sharpner accurately guessed the last word. "Yeah, I think I'm taking a few leafs out of his book."

It made Erasa feel guilty. "Look, I don't really want to do it either, but who knows how long this is going to last? We don't have jobs, or much of savings. We need money." She finally told him her main reason for coming here.

Sharpner had to admit, that was a pretty decent point. But there was something still bugging him. "So what's in the folder?"

"Bank account details." She replied. "Videl has a lot of money, and I thought it be better if those didn't fall into the wrong hands."

"A little too late for that one." He pointed out. "All of their accounts have been seized and emptied."

"Even Videl's personal one?" She asked.

"Yep." He nodded.

"Her trust fund?" She then tried.

"Also." Unlike her, he had been keeping up to date. "There's nothing left."

She sighed in defeat. "I'm still taking them with me. Oh, and this one." She took one of the smaller boxes and showed it to him. Inside was a singe golden ring, with a sapphire worked into it.

"It's Videl's." Erasa explained. "She showed it to me once. Said it was her mother's wedding ring."

"I see. He replied. "We better give that one back then."

"I thought so."

* * *

 **End of Chapter**

* * *

Thank you for reading, and your continued support. I hope this in-between chapter wasn't too boring.

As for the song, I know it's bad, but it's supposed to be bad. So I say. I just couldn't write a good one, ok? TT_TT

If you're wondering about Videl, she isn't going to reappear for a little while. She'll be back hen we've reached the part where she leaves Korin Tower on her Nimbus.

And speaking of that Nimbus, I'm surprised no-one brought that up yet. I usually roll my eyes at pure-hearted-Videl, so I was kind of hesitant to use it myself here.

Videl has become stronger thanks to her training, obviously, but I'm not going to reveal just how much just yet.

And, as is becoming usual, I thank MrChuckMan for beta-reading.


	9. Chapter 9, Revelation

A/n: I know I said I wouldn't do it, but…

100+ reviews, near 300 favourites and 400+ followers? 1,5k views in one day, and 27k in total?

Well, I'll be damned. I thought it would slow down after the first few chapters, but here I am being proven wrong.

Wow, thank you all for your support.

I'm going to reply to a few comments here, and do a bit of ranting, so if you're not interested in that, go ahead and skip to the start of the chapter. The title is between two lines, as usual, and should be easy to spot.

Well then…

 **To the Guest, who said the story went to shit:** Why makes you think so? I don't mind if people say they don't like it, but I'd like to know why they think so.

Also, thank you. You know, when I see a story without negative reviews I tend to get a little suspicious. But I have never deleted any reviews, I swear.

 **To the Anonymous:** Unfortunately, self-blaming among victims is very common. Lucky, in this case, Sharpner kinda overreacted. Even if he didn't say anything, Erasa would have realised she simply had the bad luck of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Either way, it isn't going to come up anymore, so don't worry about it. Erasa's case of self-blame, that is. There is another case of self-blaming, but the person doing that isn't exactly innocent, so it doesn't really count, I guess.

 **To Xperior:** Wow, that is actually pretty in line with a few things I had planned in the future.

Mind if I steal that?

 **To Star Iron:** Thank you for your encouragement.

 **MariSkep:** It is never too late for a review. :)

Also, I didn't exactly come up with the way Sharpner is here, since I think I read it a while back in one of the older stories.

I don't remember what is was though, it was before I made this profile, and I never found it again. To bad, it was a pretty good read.

 **To REQUIEMCROSS, RenegadeForLife, and other people asking why Gohan doesn't just do a press conference or use the Dragon Balls:**

Well, it's true that a lot could have been avoided if a wish or a press conference was made immediately. I know that, and I was kinda ignoring it and hope you readers would do the same.

Ok, no I didn't, but besides from my usual argument, being me not having a story, there's another reason.

It's a bit of an excuse, I know, which is why I didn't mention it before, but hey, it's something.

Time.

It's been spread out over 8 chapters, and 45k words, but it all happens in the span of just a few days.

I guess I'll share a part of my timetable.

Day -4, Friday, the aliens first arrive at Earth.

Day 0, Tuesday, the Day of Revelation, Gohan saves Satan City and shows the world his power.

Day 1, Wednesday, Erasa and Sharpner do their interview, and Satan Mansion gets burned down.

Day 2, Thursday, Gohan goes back to school.

Day 4, Saturday, Satan City is renamed Golden City.

Day 6, Monday, the Day of Vengeance, Gohan saves Videl.

Day 7, Tuesday, Erasa nearly gets assaulted.

This chapter starts on the 7nth day. It has only been a week since Gohan overturned the world. Things are actually happening very rapidly, it just seems slower because lots of things are spread out over the chapters.

Long story short, people, including the main cast, haven't really had the time to think rationally.

I admit, it's a little bit of a plot hole, and something I didn't entirely think out.

Also, I'm not sure how well I've portrayed it, but the main cast doesn't really consider Gohan exposing the truth to be a bad thing. The world left it's ignorance behind, and is no longer insulting them.

Well then, with that out of the way, let's dive into this chapter, shall we?

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

 **Revelation**

* * *

"Is there something wrong? You've been awfully quiet." Erasa asked Sharpner on their way back.

Indeed, Sharpner had been quiet ever since they left the ruins of the Satan Mansion.

"You didn't have to try to trick me, you know?" He stated out of the blue. "You could just have asked me to come along."

"I did, but you said no." She returned.

"You didn't tell me why." He said back, annoyed. "For all I knew you were coming here for shits and giggles."

"I told you, didn't I?" She pointed out.

"Pretty much afterwards." He grumbled. "You never tell me ahead of time what you're doing." He kept complaining.

"Aw, does Iddy Widdy Sharpy feel used by the big bad Erasa?" She put on her mocking voice.

"You know what? Yes! What if I do?" He responded harshly. "Why couldn't you just tell me what you were coming here for? Don't you trust me?"

She didn't expect that one. Though she did purposely rope him along, she didn't mean to hurt him by it. "I'm sorry." She apologised. "I was just worried you wouldn't see things my way."

"So what if I didn't?" He returned. "Am I not allowed to have my own opinion?"

"It's not just about the trip, is it?" She realised.

"No." He admitted.

"Fine." She sighed. "Ask away."

"And you'll answer truthfully?" He asked.

"Cross my heart." Erasa made the appropriate motion.

"What is your bra size?"

This made her jerk her head to look at him. "Sharpner!" She called.

"What?" He sounded mock-offended. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I'd be crazy to let it pass."

"We were having a serious conversation." She scowled at him. "Why do you feel the need to do that?"

"Because that's just how I am." He grinned.

"No, it's not." She grumped.

"You know me so well." He returned.

"Ugh, boys." She rolled her eyes. "34B." She then said.

"What?" He did a double take.

"You heard me!" She stated. Once was humiliating enough already, she was not going to repeat herself.

"You're a B?" He asked, staring directly at her goods. "They look so much bigger than that. Do you stuff? Push-up bra?"

Erasa looked right back at him. "…Yes."

"I knew it." He said aside. "I hate those. It's like that big present at Christmas, the one wrapped in shiny paper, and you just imagine the wonderful toys inside, but then you open it and ehh, it's just socks." He started ranting to himself.

"Knock it off!" She poked him in the side. "And make your next questions a little more seriously, or the deal's off."

"Actually I only got one question." He got serious again. "When Gohan first came to school, you pretty much immediately invited him in our group. Now, I'm not complaining, but at the time you didn't know who he really was either. So why did you?"

"Simply put, I was jealous." She replied.

"Of Gohan?" He asked, taken aback.

"No, Videl." She corrected him. "She has all the attention of all the cute and handsome guys. Everyone was pining for her, but she always sent them packing. And then Gohan came. A cutie from out of the city, smart enough to get full scores on everything, not to mention Mr dark, tall and handsome. And he just had… I don't know, an aura of strength, I guess. Which, thinking back, kind of makes sense."

"I must have missed it." Sharpner said aside.

"Anyway, I thought he was just perfect, any girls dream, so I tried to set him up with Videl." She continued. "Then the guys would see she was taken and maybe pay a little more attention to me."

"If you look up _'attention whore'_ in the dictionary, you'll see a photo of you." He made fun of her.

"Well, sorry, but I'm always just out of spotlight every single day." She replied, annoyed. "It's so frustrating!"

"Tell me about it." Sharpner knew that feeling. "So you tried to get them together?"

"Not 'together' together, but yeah. Then we learned he didn't care for Videl's fame, and that was perfect. But Videl just hated him for some reason."

" **That** I **did** notice."

"At first I thought she was just feeling awkward, and didn't know how to handle her feelings and became angry at him for it. But instead of blowing over, she just started hating him more."

"Well, she did complain about Saiyaman ruining her life, and suspected Gohan of being Saiyaman." Sharpner pointed out.

"She was just paranoid." Erasa argued.

"And she was right." Sharpner returned. "The term 'properly paranoid' comes to mind."

"Ok, fine. But at the time, we didn't know that." Erasa tried to get back on track.

"Videl clearly hated Gohan, so why did you keep inviting him?" Sharpner asked.

"Like I said, he's a dream for any girl, and…" She hesitated. "Well… I'm a girl too, you know?"

Sharpner facepalmed. "You fell for him." He stated. "You tried to get Videl to like him, but ended up falling for him yourself."

Erasa just pressed her lips together, her face beet red.

A loud whistle rung. Some guy was clearly checking Erasa out. She just walked a little faster. "Is he following?" She asked softly.

"No." Sharpner glanced and saw the man go on his own way. Erasa let out a sigh of relief.

"Hey, it's ok, I'm here for you." He said as he put a hand on her shoulder.

She didn't reply, just put her hand on his and gave him a grateful smile.

"Anyway." He got back on topic. "I was pinning for Videl, and you fell for Gohan. How did we end up going after people we'd never get?"

"I don't know." Erasa sighed.

"Think we should just date each other instead?" He asked in jest.

"Ew, no!" She pushed his hand off her shoulder and scrunched her nose in a very Videl-like way.

"Ew?" He looked up. "I knew you wouldn't say yes, but you don't have to be so offended. I'm not that repulsive, you know?" He started. He wanted to continue when she let out a chuckle.

"I got you." She grinned.

Damn, she got under his skin.

The two kept walking, somewhat more upbeat than before.

"You're a good friend." Erasa suddenly stated. "And I don't want to ruin that."

Sharpner suddenly got an ominous sense of foreboding.

"But these last few days, I've been seeing you in a new light. And I… I don't know. I'm confused. I didn't want to leave the city because I wanted to try talking to Gohan, but then my parents started packing and I didn't want to be left alone. I felt vulnerable. But I knew you'd never take advantage of me. I… I feel safe with you."

Sharpner opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, only to repeat this three more times. He could feel his face warming up as he did so. Seriously, how does one react to such an honest and heartfelt declaration?

So he did the only thing he thought of at the time. He wrapped his arm around Erasa's neck, and pulled her towards himself, rubbing the top of her head with his other hand.

"You little manipulator." He said. And stopped, but didn't let go. "It's ok, you can stay as long as you need."

* * *

The following morning, Wednesday morning, Erasa and her new roommate were back in the classroom, as were all others that were going to show up. One teacher, and six other students. Strangely, Angela seemed to have been missing. And she was so devoted too.

Just like yesterday, they were just going to be here wasting time until they could leave again. It wasn't like they had anything better to do anyway.

Erasa sat at her usual spot, playing a video game, one she nicked from Sharpner. Much to his annoyance. She didn't get why though, it wasn't like he had touched this thing for months.

Maybe because she found it going trough his things? Probably, but she had no regrets. Well, maybe one, but it was her own fault, so she decided not to mention it.

Sharpner sat against her side, one arm around her back, and watched her play as he gave commentary. It did not go well, especially when Erasa starting doing the exact opposite of what he said, and blamed it on him. Somehow.

He smiled as he looked at the other blonde. She puzzled him, but she likely puzzled herself too. For example, just this morning, when he woke up to find Erasa laying below him. He clearly remembered going to sleep by himself.

Of course, the act of getting up had woken her up. She looked at him in a weird way.

" _What are you doing in my bed?" She asked him._

" _This is my bed." He returned, having no clue what was going on, but couldn't pass an opportunity to be a smartass._

" _Your…" She looked around. And clapped her hands over her face. "Oh, shit, I fell asleep!"_

" _Wait what?" He asked, his wonder only growing. Erasa didn't answer though, she just pushed him off her, and slipped out of the bed._

" _Please forget this happened." She threw over her shoulder, and left._

" _So we are not talking about this?" He called after her, but again, got no reply._

' _What is going on here?' He asked himself._

Afterwards, Erasa had pretended it didn't happen, and went on her usual way. Sharpner decided to play along, but he did wonder, what was she doing in his bed?

Not that he minded all that much. He remembered how wonderfully warm and soft she felt, how cute her sleeping face was. And how cute her shocked face was.

Truthfully, he did have a suspicion why she was there, but he denied it every time it came up. He and Erasa had been best friends for a very long time. But ever since the… incident yesterday, he was harshly reminded she was, in fact, a girl, a woman, and an attractive one at that.

As he watched her game, he decided to tease her a little, and slightly squeezed her side. She made an annoyed huff, but didn't retaliate. Usually he was in for an attempt at a megaton punch at this point.

Slowly his hand slid down, towards her hip.

"Sharpner." She suddenly said softly. "Stop."

He let go of her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

She set down the device, and sighed. "I don't know." She said. "I don't know what I feel anymore."

He pressed his lips together. He wasn't the only one who was confused.

A small gust of wind stirred their hair. The glass in the windows had broken, and not been replaced. No one bothered to do so.

And now, with the door open, wind blew through freely.

The loud gossip of the other girls died down instantly.

Both Sharpner and Erasa looked over at the door.

And there he was. With his hair jet black again, wearing his usual school outfit.

His Divinity, the Golden God. Gohan.

They saw him standing in the doorframe, the gentle wind softly rustling his unruly hair. He was looking around the room with a confused look in his eyes, probably wondering where all the other students went.

The teacher and the other students all bowed their heads, and folded their hands.

For a moment, Sharpner was going to follow their example. But he saw Erasa merely smile and wave. Sure, the smile was forced, but it was still something.

She got up, and approached him.

"Hey, you're back." She said, both cheerily and politely.

"Yeah, I…" Gohan started, but stopped himself. "Where is everyone?" He then asked.

"Gone." Erasa replied. "Everyone left after Monday. Most of the building has been abandoned."

For a second he had a dark look in his eyes. Frightening.

"I see." He said. "But then, why are you still here?"

"We figured you might come back." Sharpner now joined in.

"So you waited for me." Gohan sighed. "I should have known something was up."

"Is there something wrong?" Erasa questioned him, feeling slightly worried.

"No, it's nothing." Gohan replied. And remained quiet. He looked sideways slightly, and seemed to be in thought.

"Excuse me." One of the other girls had walked up to them, and spoke up. "I err… if you don't… please grant me the honour of giving you an offering." She stammered and bowed her head as she held out a small box.

Gohan blinked. And again.

"I'm sorry." The poor dear trembled in her place. "I didn't mean to…"

"Thank you." Gohan said kindly as he took the box. "That is very thoughtful of you."

The girl nearly wet herself, this time from excitement. Not knowing what to say, she bowed again and ran off.

Gohan actually had a shadow of a smile as he watched her go.

"You know?" He started. "It's probably best if I don't come back anymore."

"You're leaving the Earth?" Erasa asked, feeling utterly devastated by this news.

"No, the school." He had a grin as he corrected her.

"Ah." And now she just felt stupid.

"But why?" Sharpner questioned.

"I had hoped things would settle down, but that is clearly not happening." Gohan told him. "I guess I was just being hopeful." He shook his head.

"What will you do now?" Sharpner asked him, feeling slightly bolder.

"I'm not sure." Gohan looked to the outside. "I wanted to have a taste of normal life, but that is out of the question now. Maybe I should change my name, go to a different city?"

"So you really are leaving then?" He asked again.

"I suppose." He replied sadly. "Thanks for hanging out with me. It was fun while it lasted."

It hurt Erasa to see him like this. He just looked so sad. How can such a powerful being feel so sad about this?

Was it really not an act? Was he really here, among normal people, just because he enjoyed it?

She thought back to whom she believed Gohan to be. A nerd, but kind, cheerful, and gentle. He never raised a hand against anyone.

Even when a few jocks had cornered him, while he had the power to destroy them with a flick of his finger, he simply talked them down.

Even Sharpner had talked down to him plenty of times, even called him Nerd Boy. He never retaliated. Not even once.

The guy had to be a saint.

No, a God.

"Well." Sharpner started. He felt the same way Erasa did. "Since school isn't a thing anymore, maybe we could crash at my place?" He offered. "My parents aren't home, so we got freedom."

The sadness vanished like snow under the sun. "Sure, I'd like that." He said.

* * *

Sharpner figured Gohan would be recognised if they walked the street, so he decapsulated a car, his parents car as a matter of fact, and drove them to his place.

Halfway there, Gohan suddenly told Sharpner to pull over, which he promptly did.

"What's wrong?" He asked over his shoulder. Gohan just got out, and started walking into a nearby alleyway.

"What's going on?" Erasa wanted to know.

Then a high scream sounded.

Followed by another high voice. "Just give me the bag!"

"Let go of me!" The first one again.

"Wow." Sharpner commented. "A mugging? In broad daylight?"

"I noticed the city being a lot less populated." Gohan commented, calmly walking towards the voices. "Yet this is the third crime scene I happen to come across this morning. Did all the good people move away or something?"

"Hey, we're still here." Erasa returned, slightly annoyed. Then froze as she realised she just talked back to the Golden God.

"Hm." Gohan didn't even look back. "Good point."

She let out a sigh of relief. And looked up at Sharpner, who gave her a small smile.

Gohan kept walking. It was only just around the corner.

"Empty your pockets!" The second voice commanded.

"What is going on here?" He demanded.

The other two followed him, and saw a teenage girl, no older than they were, holding a long knife in one hand, and a handbag in the other. On the ground was a middle-aged woman holding a small child.

"Stay away, or I will cut you!" The girl now pointed the knife at Gohan. Her eyes were wide and her teeth clenched.

There was actually a little blood on the knife, and the woman on the ground had a small red spot on her upper arm.

"Violence isn't the answer." Gohan stated calmly, not even looking at the knife. Of course, it was not threat to him whatsoever.

"Shut up!" She swiped at him. Just a threat though, he didn't even have to move.

"Calm down, we can talk about it." Gohan persisted, even using a gentle voice.

"I don't want to talk, I want your stinking money!" She swiped at him again, this time for real.

She didn't get far. With one hand, Gohan blocked her by placing it in her elbow, making her come up short. With the other he gave her a push in the abdomen, which made her flail backwards a few meters, then land and roll for a few more.

"Really?" Sharpner wasn't sure what he disbelieved more, the fact that a teenage girl thought she could overpower the three of them, or the fact that she actually tried to fight Gohan. "You try to stab the Golden God himself?" He continued, sounding a little condescending.

This earned him a small frown from Gohan. One that told him he wasn't helping.

The girl got up, holding her knife in front of her. Her eyes were on Gohan, now weary.

And they grew large with fear.

"You're the…" Her voice wavered, and she sunk back to her knees.

Then she brought the knife up to her own throat.

A small gust of wind blew the dust up in the alleyway. Within the blink of an eye Gohan had crossed the distance, and was now holding the knife by the blade, his fingers around the edge.

Slowly yet forcefully he pulled it from her grasp, and threw it down. There were actually four dents along the edge now.

The poor girl crawled back a little, her face as pale as a ghost, and shaking with fear. "I'm sorry." She said, barely more than a whisper. "I didn't know, I swear. Please."

"Just…" Gohan started, then stopped, and stood up straight again. "Just leave." He then said.

"Yes, thank you." The girl didn't wait a second and started running.

Gohan watched her go, until she vanished behind a corner. Then he turned to the two victims, who were still on the ground.

The woman was looking a little pale as well, though nowhere near as bad as the girl did.

She continued to remain on the ground as Gohan walked up to her, and hunched down. "Are you ok?" He asked gently.

She merely nodded, holding the child to her chest.

"Are you hurt?" He then asked, looking at the red spot on her arm.

"Just a scratch." She replied. "Thank you." She then nodded as she got up.

And she repeated it. And again, as she walked backwards, also wanting to just get out of there.

Gohan just sat there, watching her leave as well. There was a strange look in his eyes. If the other two didn't know any better, they'd say it was disbelief.

He stood up, still looking in the same direction.

"Am I really that scary?" He then asked.

The two blondes exchanged a glance. They didn't see that one coming.

"Well." Erasa spoke up. "You're pretty powerful, so that does kind off make people nervous." She stated carefully.

"But it's not like I'm threatening anyone." Gohan returned. He looked confused.

"We know that." She answered. "But you are glowing and flying and being incredibly powerful, it can be a little scary."

"I see." He replied. His eyes said otherwise, spelling even more confusion than before. "Let's go, I don't want to stay here any longer."

So they walked out again, in silence, towards Sharpner's car.

The mood was somewhat dampened, but that was to be expected. Gohan just sat in the backseat, looking outside at the passing city.

Erasa had wanted to ask what was wrong, but decided not to. Even if he wasn't a god. Sometimes, what people need is just a little time and space.

Thanks to the pretty empty streets they got to Sharpner's place in no time.

"So this is where you live?" Gohan said, looking at the small house.

"It's a little small, but I'm an only child." Sharpner stated.

"It's not that much smaller than my own home." Gohan stated as he followed the other two in. "But then again, we also spend a lot of time outside, so we don't need all that much space."

"You live in the mountains, don't you?" Erasa remembered.

"Yeah, it's where my father grew up." He replied.

"Make yourself at home, I guess." Sharpner stated. "You want something to drink? Coffee? Soda? Beer?"

"Just water." He replied. "By the way, where are your parents?"

"On vacation." He returned. "They decided not to come home, and since I'm not leaving, it's just me and Erasa now."

"Wait, Erasa lives here too?" He looked surprised.

"My parent's skipped town, but I didn't want to." She replied. "They said I couldn't live by myself, so I moved in with Sharpner."

"And they allowed it?" Gohan's wonder seemed to grow.

Erasa shrugged in true teenage fashion. "I didn't ask."

Gohan just gave a slight chuckle, and sat down on the sofa, Erasa following suit.

Sharpner handed the two of them a glass of water, and had one himself.

Gohan twirled his glass for a bit, before setting it down. "I guess you two must have a few questions." He started.

Erasa glanced over at Sharpner for a second. A few? That was an understatement. Still, some were more important than others. And one above all.

"Why… did you do it?" Sharpner asked.

"Do what?" Gohan looked surprised. "Save that woman?"

"Kill those people the day before yesterday." He clarified.

"I didn't mean too." He said, looking down at his glass rather than at either of them. "I was just… so angry."

He leaned back, contemplating something. They kept quiet, hoping he'd continue by himself. And he did.

"I guess by now you've figured out I'm not exactly normal." He started.

"Dude, ya think?" Sharpner couldn't help himself.

"Where do I start?" He ignored it. "The whole world is under the impression I'm some vengeful deity. I'm not, it is a misunderstanding."

"We know you're not vengeful." Erasa tried.

"I'm not a deity either." He added. "It is true that I'm not exactly Human, but I am no god."

"You're an angel, then?" Erasa asked.

"Dammit, really?" He sighed, becoming slightly annoyed. "No, my mother is a normal Human."

"So you're a demigod?" Sharpner concluded.

At this point, Gohan just let out a frustrated groan. "I am not related to gods in any way." He gave his disclaimer. "Ok, let me start over. I am only half Human, as my father was an alien, a Saiyan to be precise."

"An alien?" Sharpner repeated.

"You mean like those two Saiyans that destroyed East City?" Erasa suddenly asked. It made Sharpner do a double take, and stare at her, his mouth slightly agape.

Even Gohan looked surprised she actually remembered that one.

"Yes." He confirmed. "The very same. In fact, those two came looking for my father. You see, the Saiyans are near extinction. An intergalactic omnicidal maniac named Frieza feared the power of the Saiyans, and destroyed their home planet.

The Saiyans used to have a legend, the Super Saiyan, a warrior with a power beyond anything else, and Frieza feared this legend. And rightly so, as my father became a Super Saiyan, and overthrew him. And I too am able to harness that power."

"Super Saiyan?" Sharpner repeated. "You mean… is that the… golden thing you do?"

"Yes, actually." Gohan nodded. "It's more than just that though. It's an actual transformation. And it also affects the mind. Err…" He scratched his neck, probably looking for a way to explain. "You remember my nimbus cloud, right? You have to be pure of heart to ride. I can ride it in my normal form, but as a Super Saiyan, the nimbus will not carry me. I am no longer pure."

"Not pure?" Erasa asked. "How is that possible?"

"The Super Saiyan is… well… think of a drug that both hypes you up, and makes you aggressive, and multiply it by superpowers. It… it poisons the mind, fills you with rage and bloodlust. It has a bad habit of going to your head, making you do things you regret.

That's why my dad and I decided to spend a long time in the transformation, to get used to it, so it will no longer affect us like that.

But that is only for voluntary transformations. When my emotions reach a peak, and my anger becomes so large I can no longer contain it, my body forcefully transforms, and any control I had goes out the window.

Just like the day before yesterday. When I saw…" His voice became stuck, and he couldn't bring himself to actually say it. "I was so angry." He continued. "I haven't felt that kind of anger since the Cell Games."

He took his glass of water, and drowned it all in a single go.

Neither Erasa nor Sharpner said anything. What is there to say? This was something they could never even have imagined. A side of him they never thought existed.

The boy inside had shown himself.

No, it had been there all along, long before his power became known. They just forgot about it, ignored it in favour of this new image, forgetting they were both pieces of the same whole.

Not knowing what to say, or even having anything to say, Erasa did the only thing she could do. She stood up, and embraced him.

Damn, he looked like he needed a hug too.

He looked a little surprised at first, but then he put an arm around her back, and leaned back slightly to make her more comfortable, letting her face rest in his neck.

"I'm sorry." She said softly.

He just rested his head on hers, and let out a deep sigh.

"Gohan." Sharpner wasn't sure why he decided to speak up at that moment, but he just did anyway. "Why did those other Saiyans come here in the first place? If it was to meet your father, then why blow up an entire city?"

Gohan had to think for a moment. "They did come looking for my father, but it wasn't really a friendly visit. You see, Saiyans have been employed by Frieza as… well… planet brokers. They clear planet of sentient life, and sell them to the highest bidders. Saiyans may look like Humans, but they possess extraordinary power, and weren't afraid to abuse it.

There was a third Saiyan, by the way. They came looking for my father for… some reason, I forgot, and threatened to kill all Humans unless he cooperated. We kicked their asses back to space instead. And then decided to go into space ourselves, where me met their boss Frieza, and my father transformed and defeated him once and for all, putting an end to his tyranny."

Gohan seemed to be oddly happy, talking about this. He must really look up to his father. And also be skipping over quite a few things.

"Wait, if Frieza was the one who destroyed the Saiyan planet, then why would those Saiyans be serving him?" Sharpner questioned.

"Long story short, they were kinda like slaves to Frieza. They didn't want to serve him, but didn't have a choice. Frieza was just that powerful. They knew all too well it was Frieza who killed all other Saiyans, but they just weren't strong enough to do anything."

"Are there more Saiyans?" Erasa wanted to know. She was still hugging him, though no longer as tightly, and wasn't really willing to let go.

"As far as I know, since the passing of my father there is only one full blooded Saiyan left." Gohan replied.

So his father really had died then. They had a suspicion, since he only spoke of him in the past tense, but weren't sure, and didn't know how to ask.

But that just brought up a new question.

"Gohan." Sharpner called him again, looking as serious as he felt. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but wasn't your father a Super Saiyan? And judging by you, he must have been incredibly powerful. So how did he die?"

Gohan diverted his eyes, and looked up at the roof. For a moment there Sharpner regretted asking, but then Gohan gained a slight smile.

"Smiling." He replied. "And telling me he was proud of me."

That was not what Sharpner meant, but it was something.

Gohan paused for a second. "He may have died, but he isn't really gone, you know?" Gohan continued, looking at the roof, smiling, and absentmindedly rubbing Erasa over her back. She didn't mind in the slightest.

"Sometimes, when I look in the mirror, I can see his face in my reflection. Sometimes I hear his words in my voice. I see his ideals in my actions, and his beliefs in my opinions.

I catch myself playing with my little brother like he once played with me. I teach what he once taught me.

He lives within me. The safety of the world may be his work, and its peace his goal, but I am his legacy." He paused for a second, then looked down again, to the girl on top of him, only to see tears going down her cheeks.

"What?" He looked taken aback. "Why are you crying?"

"Because!" Erasa said back, hiding her face in his neck again. Gohan looked over at Sharpner, who just stared at him.

And spoke with a somewhat higher tone than usual. "That was fucking beautiful, man."

Gohan just slyly scratched his neck, as he usually does.

"You must really miss him." Erasa stated.

"Yeah." He nodded, both sad and happy at the same time.

Sharpner stood up to refill their glasses. He saw Erasa lean on Gohan, and her free hand slide over his chest.

Ah, that's right, that girl is a little in love. He had almost forgotten about that. And as it turned out, Gohan wasn't as out of her league as they initially thought. Not a god, just a super powerful legendary alien warrior.

Not sure if that would make her chances any better, but hey, points for trying.

He smiled as he left the room, mentally noting to take a long time with the refilling.

"Random question." Erasa started. "But why do you wear those baggy clothes?" She suggestively rubbed her hand over his chest. "Judging by how this feels, you must be hiding quite the physique here."

"Erasa!" Sharpner called from the door. "Behave!"

She just scrunched her nose and stuck out her tongue.

"Well…" Gohan replied in his usual awkward self. "I do work out a lot, so I was kind of embarrassed and tried to hide it."

"You shouldn't have." Erasa responded in a clear, sweet tone. Oh, she was moving on him, that much was clear.

To Sharpner. Gohan on the other hand didn't seem to have caught on. Or he was ignoring it.

Deciding it might not be such a great idea to leave Gohan alone with Erasa after all, Sharpner hurried back.

And true to form, the mood was ruined when the phone started ringing.

Sharpner set the glasses down with annoyance, and for a moment wanted to just sit down and ignore it.

"Aren't you going to pick that up?" Gohan asked him.

"It's probably my parents." He replied. "We're not really on good terms, and now even less than ever. They want me to leave the city and come to them, and bring a few things, like the car, with me."

"It might also not be them." Gohan pointed out.

"Who else is it going to be?" Sharpner replied, but went to take a look nonetheless. "I swear, if he starts complaining about the…" He stopped for a second. "I don't recognise that number." He then stated. And picked it up. "Hello."

"Don't you hello me!" A female, unfamiliar, voice snapped at him. "Couldn't you have picked up a little sooner? Oh, forget it! You're Sharpner, right? I'm calling for Son Gohan, is he still around?"

"I…"

"I'll take that as a yes. I'm a friend of his, and I want to talk to him."

"Well…" Sharpner looked over at Gohan, who had overheard, and nodded to him. "Ok." He gave in.

"It's for you." He said, needlessly, as he handed the thing over.

"Hey, it's Gohan."

"Hey kiddo."

"Bulma? How did you get this number?"

"I heard you passed by your school, and left for your friends home, so I had them looked up." She replied quickly. "Listen, I want to talk to you for a bit, could you come over? The sooner the better."

"Ah, sure." Gohan nodded, even though the other wasn't going to see him. "By the way, now that I'm talking to you, could you arrange a press conference for me? I've been doing a bit of thinking, and I think it is best of I just tell the world what's what."

"Yeah, about that…" Bulma started. "You know what, just come by and we'll talk it over, ok?"

"Sure, see you in a bit." Bulma hung up, and Gohan handed the phone back.

"Who was that?" Erasa asked.

"Bulma Briefs." He answered, pushing himself up somewhat, probably as a signal he wanted to stand up.

"Wow, wow, wow, you know Bulma Briefs?" She continued in surprise, finally getting off of him.

"Yeah, she's an old family friend." He replied casually as he stood up, drowned his new glass of water in a single go again, and made his way to the door. "I guess I better get going."

The two walked him out. "Good luck." Sharpner said from the door.

"You too." He replied. And flew up. Once high in the sky he exploded in a blue hue, and became a blue streak across the sky, stretching all the way to the horizon.

"Wow." Erasa breathed.

"Yeah, you said it." Sharpner agreed, and closed the door again. "Aliens, destroying planets, super powerful warrior legends. I think I'm going to need a few just to let that sink in."

"Things were a lot simpler when he was 'just a god', don't you think?" Erasa returned.

Sharpner nodded, no longer really listing. He was wondering something. He remembered Gohan mentioned, from all the way back when he came back to school again, just after revealing his power.

Using life source. Sharpner held up his hand, and imagined a ball of light in it. Gohan was no god. Sure, he was an alien, but that ability, it can't be just aliens, can it? He remembered a few names. Master Roshi. Tien Shinhan. Krillin. Those were Humans, weren't they? Well, Son Goku was thought to be a Human, and he turned out to be an alien, but Sharpner highly doubted all of the others were too.

And if Humans could do that, then, maybe, he could learn it too?

* * *

While Gohan made his way towards West City, a car was driving towards Golden City. A rare event nowadays, since most people leaving didn't come back.

But this one had a reason. This one wasn't planning on coming back either, until plans changed.

Just a small time ago, the man inside the car had gotten a voice message. And it made his blood freeze over. The one thing he had feared had happened. At first he told himself it wasn't real, that the number used didn't match, that she would never…

But if there was even the slightest of possibilities of it being true, he had a duty as a father to act on it. He felt torn on the matter. On one hand he hoped it was real, so he could finally knew where his daughter was, and get her out of the city. On the other, if it was real, then she was in deep trouble.

He had hesitated a little at first, wanting to dismiss it, as his worrying fought against his scepticism, but in the end, the father in him had overcome them both, and he forced himself to move.

He knew it was not without risk. If he was recognised, he was a dead man.

He was public enemy number one.

The world's most wanted criminal.

Hercule Satan.

* * *

"Gohan, I'm glad you're here." Bulma greeted the kid when he entered the room. She threw the remains of her cigarette in the ashbin, and immediately put up a new one. That alarmed Gohan slightly. Bulma smoked, but wasn't a heavy smoker.

"You said you wanted to talk about something?" Gohan got straight to the point.

"Yeah." She nodded, and gestured for him to sit down across of her. "I'm sorry I called you away from your friends like that, but it is important."

"What is it?" He asked as he sat down.

"You said you wanted to have a press conference, right?" She started with a question.

"I do." He replied. "Could you arrange one? This afternoon, or evening perhaps? The sooner the better, I think."

"I could, but how about sometime tomorrow?" She suggested, to his surprise.

"Tomorrow?" He repeated. "Can't you do it today?"

"I could, but I won't." She replied shortly.

"But I have a lot of things to say to the world." He replied. Sure it sounded a little winy, but he didn't expect Bulma to just flat out refuse him.

"And the world will hear you." She added calmly. "Tomorrow. You got to take care of yourself too, you know? Have a good meal, take a bath, a good night's rest. Visit Krillin, or Yamcha. Unwind a little, the world can wait one day."

"I already waited a day." He protested. "I spend a lot of time figuring out what to do."

"You want to tell the world you're not a god, I get that." She replied, tipping her cigarette in the ashbin. "But I'm starting to think that maybe you shouldn't do that."

"Why not?!" Gohan asked, a little sharper than he intended. He had expected Bulma to be a little more supportive.

She just took a long breath, and let it out as a sigh. "Listen." She started. "I have been wondering lately. I was thinking on how to convince people that you're not a god, but then Vegeta said a few things, and it got me thinking. Have you wondered why people believe you are a god?"

"Because I am flying and glowing?" He returned.

"But there were other theories at first." She argued. "I remember you being called the Angel of Light at first. So why the Golden God. Why that specifically? There is a reason for that.

The problem isn't people believing you are a god, the problem is people wanting to believe it, and nothing can go against that. Not common sense, not the King of the World, and not even you yourself. If you go and tell people you are half alien, they'll find a way to twist your words, or a reason to believe that wasn't really you, or you are testing their faith, or a combination of those."

"But why? "Gohan asked, feeling confused.. "Why would they be so ignorant?"

"Because they are afraid." She replied. "Most of the people who worship you now only do it out of fear. They want you to be a god, because gods can be appeased. They can be brought offerings and worshipped, and as such, be controlled."

"People are trying to control me?" He asked, taken aback. Instantly his mind went back to the trembling girl in his classroom, who gave a gift. No, an offering.

"Not directly, or at least, not all of them." Bulma replied, of course unaware of his thoughts. "Come to think of it, I daresay there are going to be people who will try to have you do their work for them."

"I figured that already." Gohan replied. Circumstances aside, people using things, animals or other people to do their work for them was a tale as old as humanity itself. It was one of the reasons their group preferred to remain hidden after all. "We'll handle that when we get there." He decided.

"Fair enough." She shrugged. "Like I said, people are afraid right now. And they cling to the god-thing because it gives them the illusion of control. By controlling you, they can control their lives.

It's nonsense, of course, but it's how it is right now. Your presence has already shattered their illusion of safety. So why not let them have this, for now? Until they get to know you, and learn they don't need to worship you. When they realise you are no threat to them, perhaps then they will be ready to accept you as you are.

I fear, if you try and explain right now, it would only make things worse."

"I don't think so." He objected. "I've talked to Videl, and just earlier to Erasa and Sharpner. They understood when I explained myself."

"But those are people who knew you before you were declared a god." She argued. "And you talked to them personally. A press conference to the world is not the same thing. You can't dissuade misunderstandings at the spot. And sometimes, people just twist your words on purpose. Trust me, I've been there."

"But lying to them?" He asked. The thought did not settle well, even if it was for the better.

"You won't have to lie." She tried to downplay. "Just don't mention that part just yet. Tell them you don't wish to be worshipped. Tell them they should pick up their lives again. Tell them of your origin. Just do it one step at a time."

"How long is that going to take?" He then asked.

"If we're lucky, just a few…" She stretched the last word out a bit, probably second guessing herself.

"Days?" He asked hopefully.

"Years." She finished. "I'm sorry, but this changes everything Humanity believes in. The world is going to have to make a transition, and it's not going to go easily."

Gohan had to think about it for a moment. "Can't we wish for something?" He then asked. "Like, wish for the world to accept energy is real and I'm not a god, or just to forget about it all?"

"And then what?" She asked, meaning she had thought along the same lines as well. To be fair, when you have wish granting orbs at your disposal, they tend to become a part of a lot of backup plans.

"Say we wish for everyone to forget." She started. "The next time something happens it'll be out on the streets again. We got lucky with the Cell Games, but that was only seven years ago. I think it'll be only a matter of time. All that will do is delay the problem instead of solving it.

And then there's also the world's future as a whole to consider. Humanity may have been thrown into disarray right now, but at least we have moved past that ridicules state of mixing brilliance and ignorance. _Capsules, spacecraft, anamorphic people? Sure. Energy? Nah, that's fairy tales._ It's just so frustrating to see my highly respected colleagues dismiss things out of hand, just because.

Sure, we could wish for everyone to forget, but **should** we? I don't think we should.

We could wish for the other thing, but again, then what? Do you think that'll be the end of it? People accept energy and just move on? The world is thrown in disarray when you showed yourself, what do you think will happen when everyone learns that anyone, and any criminal, could potentially be able to raze a city?

I for one don't think the world is ready for that revelation yet. I believe that letting them believe in that illusion will calm things down. Once they no longer need it, you can ease them into the truth."

Gohan stared blankly ahead. On one hand, he really wanted everyone to stop seeing him as such. On the other, Bulma did make sense. "Do you really think it is best?" He asked.

"For now." She nodded. "Things are pretty chaotic at the moment."

"Tell me about it." He sighed. "Satan City is a mess."

"It had the worst of it, but over here things are going bad as well. People have stopped thinking about the future, and live only for the present. It's not just Golden City, in every other city crime is skyrocketing. The police has abandoned its duty.

And who can blame them?

Like I said before, in the eyes of Humanity, you appearance has altered reality itself. Now the world is slowly starting to comprehend that there are beings on this world that could vanquish an entire city within the blink of an eye, if they are so inclined. Do you have any idea what such a sudden realisation can do to the human psyche? People have been driven to insanity over much less!" She swept her hand to emphasise her point, sending smoke and ash flying about.

"This isn't over, Gohan." She looked him right in the eye. "Mark my words, this has only just begun."

* * *

 **End of Chapter**

* * *

"This isn't over, this has only just begun."

And that concludes the introduction of my story. (Just kidding.)

Don't take me too literally on this. But I do plan on finishing this story, and I still have quite a few notes and ideas left for it.

"I am not related to gods in any way."

Several years later, Goku achieves his Super Saiyan God transformation.

Sharpner/Erasa: "Liar!"

At this point I'm seriously considering having Gohan transform instead of Goku, you know, just for ironies sake.

This is my longest chapter yet, about twice the size of the first three, and the next one is probably going to be even longer. I don't even do it on purpose.

Thanks for reading, thanks to the reviewers for giving me some much-needed feedback, and special thanks to MrChuckMan for beta-reading.


	10. Chapter 10, Injustice

**To everyone talking/asking about Gohan becoming SSG:** To be honest, besides the irony of Gohan becoming SSG, I don't really have much for Super. I have multiple endings in mind, so I could go there, but only if I get more ideas for Super. Problem is, the changes made so far aren't really going to have much of an impact on the overall story of Super.

I guess, in the end, I'm not willing to stretch this past it's limit, or put in 'filler' chapters.

 **To Abyssdoor** : In his defence, Goku probably wanted to see all his friends again, and have some fun with them. Yeah, it's a lame excuse, but it's all I got.

In my honest opinion, Goku coming back _because_ of Majin Buu, rather than it just so happening to be on that very day would have been so much better.

 **To Gyroplex14:** I do have some sort of schedule, in fact, and I usually have one or more 'ready' chapters sitting in my folders, but like I said before, I like being ahead a little, so I can change a few things. If it's already uploaded, I can't do that.

As for the schedule itself, I do have one, but I'm not married to it. I _will_ delay a chapter if I feel it isn't ready.

 **To RenegadeForLife:** To be fair, the people in the world of DBZ do have a bit of a weirdness censor. Like the dinosaurs, the animal people, the aliens, or when Perunga was summoned, it caused a bit of a stir, but then people realised it was above Capsule Corp, they just ignored it.

Come on, people, it's a _giant dragon_ , and it's _right_ _ **THERE!**_

And don't get me started on Goku transforming into SSJ3, shaking up the planet, and the whole population was telepathically present. And then, when Vegeta asks them to donate energy after being revived, what do they do? Ignore it.

Personally, I think the whole world is stupid.

 **To Caspian123:** You forgot to mention how there used to be an entire species of them, and they absolutely love to fight. :)

I think in most other series the Saiyans, or even only one of them, would be an absolute nightmare, and the ultimate evil to defeat.

(Scratches chin.) I wonder if I can work with that.

But yeah, the idea of a Super Saiyan being terrifying rather than something pretty is what shaped a large part of this fic.

As for the moments you await, well, no spoilers. :)

 **To Anilime Ahsim:** I think I'm going to ignore Bojack, since it's a movie, and at this point it doesn't bring anything new to the table, so it wouldn't be more than a mere mention.

I mean, I could but it would probably be some kind of filler, and I'm not really willing to do that. This story is going to be long enough by itself already.

 **One more thing** , I do not have a schedule or anything. I don't even write regularly, so I can't promise anything. Though I do usually only update on Fridays. I guess it brings me luck, somehow.

Besides, I like to take my time. I think writing a story is like a fart. If you try to force it you'll probably end up with shit.

And with those _wise words_ , let us get to the chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

 **Injustice**

* * *

In a basement, someplace.

A lone light bulb suspended from the ceiling was casting a dim light throughout the large room. This was likely intended to demoralize the captives held here.

A man had just regained consciousness. His left eye wouldn't open, every breath sent waves of pain through his left side, and judging by the taste of iron, something had been bleeding in his mouth.

He was sitting down on the ground with his legs stretched straight out, and his back against something hard, some kind of pole. He tugged on the ropes binding his hands. They were tied to the ground, or near the ground behind him, he couldn't see.

Cringing at the pain caused by attempting to move himself, he attempted to lean heavier against the pole for some kind of support. His heart was pounding. Not for the first time since this ordeal had started, he felt fear. Genuine fear.

He needed a second to orient himself. What had happened?

He had arrived at the place the call had came from. An apartment building, and abandoned, from the looks of the thing. No one to be seen.

Until he walked around the corner, into a hallway with doors on both sides. Once he passed the first ones, a someone yelled, and the doors were thrown open, people running out.

People armed with clubs and tasers.

He didn't go gently. He was pretty sure he broke someone's ribs, a few noses, arms, legs and fingers. Seven people he knocked down. But at number eight he slipped his guard, and he was the one to go down. And there were still six more guys, at the least. Then nothing. He supposed he should count himself lucky he wasn't beaten to death then and there.

He sighed. Looking at the room in front of him, he realized that he could make out more details. His heart was slowing down. That was good.

The walls were grey brick. He thought for a second that maybe he could punch through it, until he noticed some barred windows at the top of all the walls. Which meant he was in a basement.

Back to thinking it was. Unfortunately, that's about all he could do right now. In his current condition, freeing himself was off the table.

Had those people been waiting for him? If so, then perhaps would have been better if he had died then and there.

No point in thinking that. He was here, and alive. Where was here anyway?

He looked around the room. His focus was clearing up even more now. Wherever this place was, he wasn't alone. He must be in worse shape than he thought. He hadn't even seen them until now. Several men, women, and even two children were tied to the wall.

Unlike them, he seemed to be on a small platform, as if he was the centrepiece of this cruel collection. He didn't know for sure, since he couldn't turn around, but he seemed to be in the middle as well.

Who were those people anyway? And why were they tied up with him? He looked around. Some were looking around as well, some had their heads hung, and he wasn't sure if they were conscious or simply waiting for something.

No one seemed to be looking in his direction. Had he been recognised? He had no moustache, and no afro, wearing baggy clothes to hide his large body. And judging from how his face felt, it must have been swollen slightly as well.

He must be looking very differently from the Hercule Satan they knew. And that just gave him a little hope. It could mean that the people who captured him didn't know who he was.

But that just rose another question.

If he wasn't taken because he was recognised, then why was he?

And all of this couldn't repress a growing feeling of worry. Videl's call came from that place. Was she captured as well?

* * *

Gohan spent a bit of time flying about. Bulma's words kept coming back to his mind. _"Most of the people who worship you now only do it out of fear."_

He remembered what Erasa had answered him. _"You are glowing and flying and being incredibly powerful, it can be a little scary."_

' _But why?'_ He asked himself again. He looked at his hand as he gathered energy in it. _'Why are people afraid? I'm not threatening anyone, am I? Do they really think I just randomly killed seven people? But why?'_

He let the energy fade and clenched his hand to a fist.

' _I… I don't understand.'_

* * *

Hercule wished he had a watch, or a clock, or even a bit of sunlight on the floor, anything to tell him the time. How long had he been out? Had he been moved after he was knocked out? If so, where to?

He had been looking around, having literally nothing better to do, for a few minutes.

In this time, his daze had worn off, and he was pretty sure he had a large bruise on his left side, if not outright broken ribs. He also found a loose tooth, probably where the blood was coming from, and was currently wondering if he should try to force it out, or leave it.

"Hey." A man to his left called. And looked straight at him. Oh dear, does he know? "You don't look so good." The man continued.

"I got a bit of a beating." He admitted, warping his voice somewhat.

"That's pretty obvious." The man returned. "Your entire face is blue and swollen, man."

"That sounds about right." He replied. "How long was I out?"

"Don't know, but they brought you in here at least half an hour ago." The man answered. "And you already looked like that. What happened to you anyway? None of the rest of us got beaten."

"I didn't cooperate." He avoided the question.

"You didn't?" The man actually looked surprised. As did the other people listening in, which was basically everyone. It was the only sound in the room, so not listening in might be a bit hard. "You're lucky they didn't shoot you on the spot, man."

"Shoot me?" He tried to raise his eyebrows, but couldn't really tell if he did. He also strained his memory. "I don't remember seeing any guns. Just a bunch of people with clubs and tasers jumping me."

"Jumping you?" Someone else added it. "You weren't plucked from the streets at gunpoint?"

"You know, they were pretty excited when they brought him in." Another continued to the second. "He must be someone special."

"Yeah." A fourth agreed. "Who are you?"

"Does it matter?" Hercule replied. As long as people didn't know who he was, he had hope of walking out again. "I was in a place looking for my daughter."

"Your daughter?" The first repeated. "Did she get lost?"

"We got separated." He replied. "She's not here, is she?" He suddenly worried.

"Not sure." The man replied. "There's a couple of unconscious people brought in just after you. They knocked us all out with some kind of drug. What does she look like?"

"She's eighteen, black hair, not very tall." Hercule started.

The man looked to a place behind him. "Does she have a mole on her forehead?"

"No." He replied.

"Then I don't think she's here." The reply came, to his relief.

But where was here? And what was going to happen to them?

And just because Videl wasn't here, it didn't mean she wasn't taken by these guys.

Who are those guys? And what do they want?

"Hey." He called to the guy who first addressed him. "Who are those guys anyway? And what do they want with us?"

"They're cultists of some sort." The man made some kind of shrug. "As for what they want, not a clue. Hopefully not to sacrifice us for the glory of the Golden God, or something screwed up like that."

"Hopefully." Hercule sighed. He had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

Gohan was about to make his way home when Piccolo telepathically contacted him. He told him that Videl was going to reach the top soon, and if he wanted to be there.

Of course he did, so off he went, to Korin Tower.

* * *

"Hey, Sharpner." Erasa suddenly called him. The two had been sitting around still trying to comprehend the things told to them.

Aliens, Super Saiyans, Gohan's father, Bulma…

Yeah, it was a lot to take in, and something told them they had only just scratched the surface. So they sat in silence, thinking it over.

Well, up until Erasa got bored and decided she'd rather talk about something. And she had a topic.

"What is it?" He looked up at her.

"I was wondering, you and Videl are pretty good fighters, and looks like Gohan is a Martial Artist as well." She started. "Maybe you could show me a few things?"

"What?" Was all he said.

…

Then he spoke the only thing on his mind.

"What?"

"Oh, come on, don't give me that." She looked at him in annoyance. "I know I've never liked fighting, but it's different now. I trust you, but I want to be able to defend myself."

"And I'm sure Gohan having an interest in fighting has nothing to do with it." He teased her a little.

This made Erasa shift colours faster than even Gohan could. "No."

"Sure." Sharpner teased her a little more. And he thought it over for a second.

She was right, things were different now. The world had changed. Gone was the safety of the police, or the protection of the law.

Golden City was turned upside down.

"Alright, I'll show you a few things." He agreed, and promptly made some space by pushing the sofa away and moving the table.

"Lesson one." He started.

"Wait, right now?" She didn't expect that.

"Sure, did you have anything better to do?" He baited her.

"Well, I… fine." She gave in. "What we doing first? Dynamite Kick? Megaton Punch?" Despite not expecting to start then and there, she couldn't help but feel a little excited.

"Let's start with the basics." He shot her down.

"Basics?" She repeated, disappointed.

"They are very important." He replied calmly. "How can you expect to launch a Dynamite Kick if you don't even have a proper stance?"

"But why is that important?" She asked.

"Let's see, how do I explain?" He wondered for a second. "You know those katas Videl and I used to practice?"

"Ah, those little dances of yours?" She answered cheekily.

"They are not… ok, they're a little like dances." He humoured her. "But that is important. Martial Arts isn't about fancy moves or kicking ass, it's about teaching the body to move in a certain way."

"Why is that important?" She asked, disbelieving.

"You know, I once asked Mr. Satan that very same question, and he… you know what? I'll just show you instead." He changed his mind.

"Show what?" She didn't understand.

"You'll see." He replied, and tapped himself on the cheek. "Punch me, right here."

"I'll never hit." She protested.

"That's not the point." He said calmly. Suspicious.

"Will this hurt?" She then asked.

"Only me if you hit me." He answered. "Come on, punch me."

Erasa gave in, and drew back her right hand.

"Wait!" He suddenly exclaimed. "Ok, never mind, it's a proper fist, not a fingers around the thumb one."

"Of course, you think I'm some kind of idiot?" She threw back, insulted.

"You'd be surprised how many people do that." He rolled his eyes as he said it. "You will break your thumb like that. Oh well, punch me."

She did. Or tried. Sharpner brought up his left hand and caught it.

A soft _tab_ was heard as her his struck his palm.

"Good." He nodded. "Now with your left."

She drew back her left hand and struck.

 _Tab._

"Right again." He commanded.

"Left."

 _Tab._

"Right."

 _Tab._

"Keep going as fast as you can."

 _Tab._

 _Tab._

 _Tab._

 _Tab._

 _Tab._

 _Tab._

 _Tab._

"Ok, good." He then stated.

 _Tab._ One last punch that was already on its way.

"What's the point?" She wondered out loud.

"You'll see. Now, I want you to punch in a different way." He walked behind her and grabbed her right hand, pushing it up to her shoulder. "Now, strike out with a straight line."

She did so. "That feels weak." She complained.

"That's because it is only step one. Do it again."

Again she moved her fist in a straight punch.

"Faster." He said. "Good, now, when you punch, I want you to start here." He twisted her shoulders back, and pushed up her hand. "Turn your shoulders as you punch."

Again she did it. And again. And again.

"Ok, good." Sharpner nodded. "Now do it with your left."

Suddenly trying to mirror the movement was a little confusing, but Sharpner helpfully guided her arm and shoulders into the proper movements.

She made a few air punches with her left as well, and then he made yet another adjustment.

"When you punch with your right hand, I want you to move your left up to your shoulder."

"Why?" She questioned.

"Just do it."

She did. Her punch was a little sloppy, but after a few tries she figured out the right movement.

And then he made her mirror it with her left.

"Final step." He said once satisfied. "Punch me, then keep still."

She did, in the way he just taught her, with a straight right punch, turning her shoulders into it, and raising her left to her shoulder.

 _Tab._

"Now, from that position, punch with your left."

She drew back her right, and with the motion switched to her left, mirroring what she did just now.

 _Tab._

"Good." He nodded. "Keep switching like that."

 _Tab._

 _Tab._

"Faster!"

 _Tab. Tab. Tab. Tab. Tab. Tab. Tab. Tab. Tab. Tab. Tab. Tab._

"This is stupid." Erasa suddenly stopped. Mostly because the back and forth movements of her shoulders were being copied by her breasts, and she just noticed.

"It kinda is." Sharpner admitted, doing his best to ignore that. "But you're also doing better than you did before. Didn't you notice? Thanks to a proper line of punching, your fist has less distance to cover, making each punch faster. With the turning of your shoulders you've added extra strength to each punch, and by raising your other arm as you punch, you're immediately ready for the next one, significantly cutting the time between your punches."

Erasa looked at her hands for a second, thinking back and comparing her two assaults on Sharpner. She wasn't sure about punching harder, but the second set was clearly much faster.

Seeing realisation dawn in her eyes, Sharpner continued. "And that is the power of proper form."

"So this is how you throw a proper punch?" Erasa wondered.

"Not quite, there's also footwork, legwork, and hipwork." He shot her down again. "Ideally, a good punch has the strength of your entire body behind it, all the way down from your toes. And then there's still kicks, falling and rolling without hurting yourself, very important. And drills, of course."

"Dances." She threw at him.

He ignored it. He was in teaching mode now. "If proper form improves a single attack, then drills let you fluently go from one attack to the other. We practice both of these so much so we don't have think about it anymore, we do so automatically. The body must learn, we call it."

"And then?"

"Then there are still grapples and strangleholds, and how to break or avoid them."

"And when I've learned all that?"

"When you've mastered all that, you may call yourself a black belt."

"Wait what?" She wasn't quite sure she heard that one right.

"Because that's all there really is to a black belt." He continued. "Mastery of the basics. I have a black belt, but I am a novice next to the real masters."

"Ah." She nodded. "So, where do I start?"

"You might want change though." He said, looking at the roof rather than at Erasa. "And put on a sports bra, or something like that."

"Aha!" She nearly yelled, protectively crossing her arms over her chest. "So you were looking."

"They were right there!" He gestured to them. "It was hard to miss. And I'm a guy, I can't help it."

"So even a black belt is useless ageist these, huh?" Erasa suddenly got a bad idea. "So whenever I'm up against a guy, all I have to do is pull out my weapons of mass distraction, and he'll be off guard."

"Sad thing is, that would probably work." He muttered. "But having the element of surprise won't do you any good if you can't make use of it. And that's how we get back to the basics."

Erasa sighed, but taking enjoyment in how uncomfortable Sharpner was. "I own a couple of sports bras. I never actually used them though, so I didn't bring them along."

* * *

She followed her father down the stairs, to the basement of the apartment complex. She had heard he had been busy, and got a small crowd of people.

Originally, they had been intending to broadcast this from the basement. Everything had already been built and set up. Only the cameras remained.

But her father had changed his mind. They were going to go to the parking lot nearby, and do the whole thing out in the open. Their actions were noble and just. Thus, there was no reason to hide.

But that meant that a lot of work needed to be done. They cleared the cars and debris, and built a bit of a podium so the people could see properly. They added a few poles with wires to keep the crowd organized, but who would dare cause a scene?

No. Security wouldn't be a problem. Not at all.

Or so her father thought.

She thought this might get a little ugly, but it would be worth it. She might even gain the attention of the Golden God himself. They were doing this whole thing for him after all. It had been perfectly planned out over the last few days. There had been a lot of logistics to go through. Recruiting, property acquisition, material acquisition, construction management, broadcast scheduling, the list goes on. All that was left was the podium, the cameras and few acolytes to handle them.

It was a lot of work. But it was still worth it. Especially now that they had their trump card locked away in the basement. They only planted their bait on a whim, not actually expecting it to pay off.

A fake voicemail of Videl.

The stupid idiot he was, the fraud had fallen for their trap. And got captured like the chump he was.

When the followers had brought him in, she hardly believed her eyes. He looked different, and not just because his face was beaten in. Looked like some of the followers couldn't help themselves and relieved a bit of stress.

But she recognised him anyway, even without his afro, beard or his usual outfit.

"Angela." Her father called her. "Has the podium been finished?"

"Not yet." She replied. "But we do have all of the wood and stuff, so it shouldn't be long."

"And did you check the weather forecast?" He asked.

"Forecast? Wasn't Sunny Bridges found dead in his basement?" She replied, somewhat annoyed he didn't bother checking himself.

"Oh." Her father nodded. "No matter. It will be fine. The Golden God will provide for us."

From there, they walked on silently.

The two of them had joined a following. A cult, sort of, devoted to restoring the honour of the Golden God. It was founded by an associate of Gohan's, who went by the name of David. Gohan spoke to him, in dreams and visions, telling him of his will.

He was the perfect man for the job. He had a smooth and silky voice, and was good at convincing people to listen to him.

She was a figurehead, because she had personally conversed with the Golden God, but she didn't actually have to do anything.

Her father made sure everything went smoothly. He had a private business in the transport sector, so he knew what he was doing.

They had been busy all day today, which she did regret, because it was today that Gohan returned to the school. She could have been there, in his presence. But no, she was busy working. Oh well, at least she knew for sure he was still around.

Today she'd prove her devotion to him, and maybe, hopefully, he'd take her at his side as his priestess. Then that phone call came in, telling her Hercule had been captured, and her chances just went up considerably.

So she and her father raced here. Meanwhile, her father pulled a few strings to change the plan, to get the parking lot cleared and a podium built.

They reached the bottom of the stairs.

Her father opened the door. It was dark, and smelled of sweat. At the walls there were several people tied down. Disbelievers. Heretics. People who refused to believe in Gohan's power. People that still clung to Hercule and his lies, unwilling to see the truth, and claiming smoke and mirrors, even after the Golden God had proven himself already.

The world was better off without them and their filth.

"There you are." Her father addressed the disgusting pig in the middle of the room. He kicked the tied up man for good measure. "It is time to face the consequences of your lies."

The former champion spat out some blood. "What?" He sounded.

"Oh, look, how cute." Her father kicked him again. "He thinks we don't know who he is."

She huffed arrogantly. "Did you really think you could get away with this. Especially after the Golden God returned?"

"Gohan never wanted any of this." He protested.

Angela, infuriated, reached in her bag and pulled out her teaser, which she pressed into his neck without hesitation. He screamed and twitched in pain.

"Don't you dare take his name on those filthy lips of yours!" She spat.

"Don't go overboard." Her father said aside to her. "We need him to be aware. As stupid as he is, even he should have the opportunity to listen to the word of the Golden God."

He addressed the pig again. "Seriously though, if I had known you'd be stupid enough to just walk in here I just would've sent an invitation."

Hercule grimaced at them, showing his bloody teeth.

"Getting that clip to sound right wasn't easy, you know?" Her father continued.

"Where is Videl?" Hercule then demanded.

"You don't know, do you?" Her father replied gleefully. "Of course you don't, you wouldn't have showed up if you did. Ah, the trap worked perfectly. I only wish I was there to see it myself."

"WHERE IS VIDEL?!" He screamed at them. She expected her father to kick or punch him, but he just laughed.

"She was never here, you nitwit." He mocked, flicking Hercule's forehead while at it. "You're as stupid as you are ugly, aren't you?"

Hercule didn't seem to listed. He just sighed. "Oh, thank Kami."

"Yeah, thank Kami." Angela added in. "Just know that Kami and the Golden God are associated."

"What?" He asked.

"Oh, you didn't know?" She couldn't help but feel satisfied. "Kami even speaks to him telepathically. So don't bother thanking Kami, he had nothing to do with this."

"Besides." Her father continued. "When we find her, and we will, the men are going to have a little fun with her."

"Eh, dad, I'm pretty sure the Golden God wouldn't approve of that." She objected hesitantly.

"This guy didn't need to know that." He replied, a little annoyed.

While she was slightly relieved that it was just to torture the trash before them; her father casually mentioning raping a girl her age had made her a bit uncomfortable.

"Oh well." Her father shrugged. "Have fun in here. And have fun explaining to these people why you ran away if it was all just a trick."

The two turned and left again.

As soon as the preparations were complete, they would have their broadcast. The world would finally hear the teachings of the prophet David.

The heretic would finally be brought to holy justice.

The Golden God would finally be appeased.

All with a public execution.

* * *

Erasa let out a sigh of content. She was laying facedown on Sharpner's bed, barely hearing the TV as she felt his hands go over her bare back. Somewhere between practicing martial arts and now she managed to convince Sharpner to give her a back-massage.

Okay. Tricked might be a better word. She casually asked him to help her loosen her muscles, and that's where she mentioned a massage would be really helpful. It was more of a back-rub, considering the guy had no clue what he was doing, but she wasn't picky.

Sharpner had needed a few pointers at first, mostly her telling him to press down harder and more evenly. Now, after some time she let her mind wander freely as she felt her body turn to jelly, had two certain parts doing their best to pierce the mattress, and she wasn't entirely sure if her panties were still dry.

But this was just what she needed. The stress had been building up since Gohan's reveal. Or rescue, considering why he did it. Perhaps intervention would be more accurate?

Anyway, there had been a lot of tension and fear, and now she finally had a chance to lay down and relax. So she did, and was planning on dragging it out for as long as she could.

Sharpner knew what she was doing, but decided to let her have this one. Besides, feeling her soft and smooth skin beneath his palms, hearing, and feeling, her satisfied voice, it was a good way to relax himself as well.

Then Erasa heard something that struck a nerve. Her immediate thought was of Videl. She pushed up to look at TV.

"What is it?" Sharpner asked.

"I think I heard something about Videl." She replied.

" _These people have reserved some time on the broadcast to sent a message to the world, and attempt to get the attention of the Golden God himself."_

"Another program to grace Gohan." Sharpner said with some distaste.

"We tried to do that too, you know?" Erasa pointed out the hypocrisy in that statement. "Also, don't stop."

He grumbled, but acknowledged it. And continued, though his attention was clearly on the TV now. But so was Erasa's.

" _We're not entirely sure how and why, but we do know they have been planning this for some time now. And apparently Hercule Satan seems to be involved."_

"Oh, it was about Videl's dad." Erasa concluded, resting her chin on her wrists.

The scene switched, to show a couple of people on a wooden podium.

"Hey, that's Angela." She pointed out the obvious.

"I guess that makes that guy Angela's dad." Sharpner added. "What are they doing?"

The two stood in the middle of a small group, close by a wooden pole, with something covered by a large cloth.

" _Behold!"_ Angela's father yelled, as he grabbed the cloth, and pulled it off.

Erasa shot up, forgetting she had undone her bra and was now effectively topless. Sharpner didn't notice, as his own eyes were fixed on the screen.

" _Your_ _ **champion!**_ _"_

* * *

"Mom!" Bulma heard Trunks call her through the house. She would have told him off, had he not yelled with such a panicked tone.

"Over here!" She replied from her lab. It took him a whole second to flash into the room where she and her father were working.

"Mom, grandma said something bad is happening in Satan City." He said quickly "It's on TV."

"What channel?" She asked, figuring it would be faster to just look for herself than to ask Trunks what was going on.

"ZTV."

Mr. Briefs turned the TV in the lab on, and to the right channel.

" _..._ _ **champion!**_ _"_

Despite the obvious beating he had gotten, they instantly recognised him.

" _It is time to serve justice!"_ A man with orange/red hair called. _"Today, the Golden God will get his sacrificial due."_

Bulma turned to her son. "GO!" She yelled at him.

Not wasting a moment, and breaking every rule about flying and Super Saiyans while at it, he shot through the window and left for Golden City.

* * *

Angela stepped back a little. Knowing she was on live TV now made her feel a little nervous.

Her father had revealed Hercule to the world, declared their allegiance to the Golden God and would bring justice in his name.

He spent several minutes telling the world of Hercule's crimes, not that anyone had to be reminded, but it gave the whole thing the trial feel they were aiming for. It included fraud, deception, theft, rape, since he basically tricked women with a false identity, some more fraud, slander and workings against the Golden God.

Hercule didn't do much, no pleading, no crying, nothing to make the whole thing more interesting. He seemed to be indifferent to his fate.

Luckily, this wasn't just about him. Before they got hold of the grand prize himself, they had something else planned. Show the world what happens to disbelievers. That's why those other people had been rounded up. To make a point.

The only real difference Hercule's presence made was them deciding to make the whole thing more glamorous.

"Now!" Her father yelled. "It is time to place justice! But don't worry, we won't start with you." He addressed Hercule, though still loud enough for the cameras. "Part of your punishment will be watching the ones you have deceived face judgement before the prophet!"

This was where the camera would zoom out. Hercule's pole was in the middle, but not the only one. On both sides were a row of poles, each of them had someone tied to it. Tied and gagged.

There was also a large crowd before them. So far they had been relatively silent, but now they let themselves be heard, throwing insults and profanities at Hercule, and at the other tied up people.

They waited for the crowd to calm down a bit, then she, her father and the third man walked from the others, to the other captives on the side.

"And for you, disbelievers, we have a message." Her father stated.

This was where the third man, David, took over. "I am the chosen prophet of the Golden God." He announced boldly. "I enact his will, and speak his words. Those who do not follow the will of our leader, those that do not heed, those that do not thank the Golden God for his works, all those will face judgement. These are people who tried to persuade people with a lie. The lie of Satan. It is an insult to our saviour. The mere existence of this lie is a stain on his honour. It must not be allowed to exist."

He turned to the first in the row, a young man, whose voice was muffled by his gag. "In the name of our saviour, the Golden God, and by the power vested in me by him, for the crimes committed against his name, I hereby sentence you to die." He spoke so silky he almost sang the sentence.

"No!" Hercule yelled. Ah, this was exactly what they were hoping for.

"Yes." Angela stated, a small gleeful smile on one side of her mouth.

"Don't do this." He continued, his eyes wide as he pleaded. "I'm the one you want."

"No, you're just an extra." Angela said a variation of her line. "What we want is for the world to see what happens when you defy Son Gohan."

"Stop this!" He yelled. "This is madness! This is not what Gohan wants!"

She kicked him in the head.

"Don't you speak his name, you vile pig!" She snarled, letting her anger take over for a moment, forgetting she was still on live TV.

"Calm yourself, dear." David behind her called in his smooth voice. "His time will come. For now, let us continue. There are people who need to face judgement."

One of the other people with them reached behind his back and pulled out a handgun, which he loaded.

"Show them we mean…" David started, but stopped in the middle. People weren't paying attention anymore anyway.

A large explosion rang through the air, coming from the top of one of the taller buildings, slightly crumbling it in the process.

It was a bright golden flash, blinding the people below. Then a figure started floating over, engulfed in gold, as only the Golden God could be.

But it wasn't. The person who landed was not the tall, handsome young man. This was child, wearing a green gi, but with unmistakable glowing golden hair.

Not unlike the Delivery Boy at the Cell Games.

There was a tangible silence as the kid landed. "Stop." He said, with a surprisingly calm and level voice.

"And who are you?" David asked, sounding eerily calm.

"A friend of Gohan's." The child replied. "Do you have any idea how angry he is going to be when he hears about this? It will make your so-called Day of Vengeance look tame. And that is still nothing compared to what my father will do if he gets angry."

"Oh, please." The man grinned. He actually grinned. "We are enacting the will of the Golden God. If you try to stop us, you will be the one who faces his wrath."

"That is a lie and you know it!" The kid returned.

' _Wait, what is going on here?'_ Angela suddenly wondered. _'This kid was clearly like Gohan, so why is David talking back to him?'_

"Are you calling me, the chosen prophet of the Golden God, a liar?" He asked, sounding angry. Yet Angela could tell it was an act.

"Yes." The kid replied unfazed. "I am."

"Annoying." He grimaced. "Let's have a few words in private." He walked up to the glowing kid, and went on one knee to come face to face with him. He continued too softly for the cameras to catch, but Angela, who was standing closely, could hear them.

"I know your secret." The man said in a soft but threatening tone. "Either you play along or I will expose you."

"Which one?" The kid asked unflinchingly.

"What?" David was taken aback.

"Which secret do you know?" Golden Boy asked him. "We have tons."

"All of them." The man stated.

"I doubt that. If you did, you wouldn't be talking to me like that." The kid replied with a cocky grin.

"Oh, trust me, I do." David said in a low tone very uncharacteristic of him. "And don't bother threatening me, I know how your tricks work, they can't affect me."

' _Wait, tricks?'_ Angela was frozen to the spot, feeling fear clutch her heart. _'What is going on here? Why is he talking about it being tricks? Isn't he the chosen prophet of Gohan?'_

"Do you now?" The kid continued, an amused smile on his lips. "And what will you do?"

"I want you to bring this so-called Golden God a message." David continued. "I can work the masses with ease. If he tries to work against me, I will destroy him. But if he plays along, we can all walk away rich."

"Rich?" The boy repeated, tilting his head ever so slightly.

"Oh, yes." The man nodded with a confident smile. "Very rich."

This made the boy grin. "But you made a mistake. You tried to bluff me. If you know who I am, then you would know what I can do."

"That won't work, I know what you really are." The man said annoyed.

"No, you don't." The kid said, equally annoyed. He swung his hand as if to make a lazy swat at a fly. He didn't even make contact. Yet the man was flung away, flying a few meters and skidding across the wood for a few more.

"Oops, that was too much." The kid shrugged.

Angela looked at David on the ground. _'Did he just really… but he wasn't he chosen… but… Gohan had…'_

She looked back to the kid who so casually flicked him away. He said Gohan would be angry with them. She believed she was doing what Gohan wanted. But if that guy… he suddenly said something that went against everything he said so far.

" _We can all walk away rich."_ As if he never believed in the first place.

" _Do you have any idea how angry he is going to be when he hears about this?"_ She remembered the kid saying.

They were in very deep trouble. She turned to her father, who was still standing by the other prisoners. But the moment she did so, the golden kid flashed in front of her.

"And where do you think you're going?" He asked her. "Gohan is on his way here."

"He is?" Her throat clenched, and her voice came out as a squeal.

Behind her, David had gotten up, only a scratch on his elbow. "Now you listen here, kid!" He was no longer pretending to be nice. Gone was his smooth voice. It sent shivers down Angela's spine.

"Or what, you'll badmouth me?" The kid returned.

"Or you will incur the wrath of the Golden God!" The man threatened.

"He's coming, why don't you ask him yourself?" The kid asked, pointing over his shoulder.

A low noise, not unlike rolling thunder, rang through the air, and could be felt in the ground.

"Correction, he's here." The kid stated.

Eyes went up to the sky, from where the sound seemed to have came from, looking for the familiar bright golden light.

There was no such thing, though there were a few dark clouds making their way across the sky, even though there were not supposed to be any at all.

And a small figure, dark in contrast with the bright blue sky, moved towards the podium.

Only a few seconds later someone set down just by the golden kid.

No glowing hair, it was raven-black. No piercing teal eyes, they were as dark as always. He was wearing a purple gi, accented with red and blue, showing off his muscled arms and chest.

Son Gohan, in his Human form, had made his appearance.

He looked left, then right, letting his eyes slide over the row of tied down prisoners.

He didn't speak, and no one else dared either. If it had been quiet before, it was nothing compared to the silence now, as many people didn't even dare breathe.

It was clear that there was only one person there who had the right to speak.

He turned to look at Angela. She felt her knees shake, barely able to keep standing. His glance was not one of anger nor praise. They held no joy, no sadness, no kindness. Nothing but pure disappointment.

And it was this visible disappointment that froze her over, and made her knees tremble.

He didn't look for long, as he looked back to the prisoners.

"Let them go." He said, finally breaking the silence.

At once, the people that followed David jumped into action, cutting ropes as if their lives depended on it. Perhaps it did.

"What are you doing?" David had regained the use of his voice. "Those are our examples."

"Examples of what, exactly?" Gohan asked him, sounding calm and level.

"Of what happens when you defy the Golden God." David replied without blinking.

"I see." He said. For a moment it seemed it became darker, but it was just a cloud passing in front of the sun. "Though I do not remember giving such an order."

David scowled at him, with an expression that said 'Work with me here.'. "Dude, listen." He said in a low voice. "You got a major gig going on here, but you clearly don't know what to do with it. You'll need me if you want to profit properly from it."

"Profit?" Gohan repeated, sounding angry, finally using another tone than that calm and level one. "Do you think I'm after profit? And more so, do you believe I wanted to show myself?" He raised his voice for all to hear.

Angela noticed a small wind picking up, as it rustled her orange hair.

"I know your tricks, don't bother threatening me!" David hissed. "Either you work with me, or I will destroy you!"

Gohan stepped by him, not even bothering with a reply, paying the man no more heed. Instead, he looked down at the prime piece of their show, Mr. Satan, who was still tied up.

"Here." He said, as he simply tore the thick ropes off. "Can you stand?"

"I think so." Hercule replied, a little frightful, but also relieved. "Listen, I… I'm sorry. For everything."

"Sorry?" David came in between. "That's it? You're sorry? Do you think you can get off just by giving an apology?"

Hercule looked down in shame. "I don't have anything else to give."

"You damn right, and you deserve everyth…"

"Shut up!" Gohan interrupted him.

"Just kill him." The kid suggested from the back. The casual way he suggested it sent chills down Angela's back.

"You are not Son Gohan!" David then declared. Angela wondered what that guy was doing. Did he honestly believe he could talk down to Gohan and get away with it? Did he honestly believe all of those things he had seen were just trickery?

"You are an impostor, here to take advantage of the goodwill of the people!" He accused.

' _No that's you!'_ Angela thought, feeling her anger bubbling up. Realisation was starting to catch up, and with it a hatred she had never felt before. This hypocritical bastard had been pretending to be Gohan's servant, lulled the people into thinking they were doing the bidding of the Golden God, even condemning other people to death.

All of this just to get rich!

If Gohan hadn't been there, Angela would have loved tearing into him. But she was an accomplice, an unwitting one, but one nonetheless, and it was not her place to speak. Not with a physical god here.

Said god didn't as much as flinch. In fact, he didn't show any emotion at all.

Perhaps it would have been easier if he had.

"Don't be fooled by his calm face." In this time, the glowing kid had walked up next to her. She hadn't even noticed him. "Gohan is livid right now."

"H… how do you know?" She asked, hoping he wouldn't get angry at her. _'Should I kneel? Should I have knelt when he got here?'_

"Just a feeling." The kid shrugged, not even looking at her anymore.

"A feeling?" Angela picked up. This struck something in her memory. "You mean like feeling lifeforce?"

"Wait, you know about that?" He looked surprised.

"Gohan said something about that a while back." She explained herself quickly.

"Well, it's not exactly… forget it." The kid changed his mind. "Yes, I can sense it, and with it the emotions it carries. Like I can feel your fear right now."

In this time, Gohan and David had a little staring contest.

"And who do you think you are?" Gohan finally asked.

"I am the prophet of the Golden God." David replied loudly. "I speak to him through dreams and visions." He started. Then he let his eyes roll back, and turned his face to the sky. "The Golden God is giving me a vision." He claimed.

"Heh!" The Golden Kid sounded from the sidelines. "Is he telling you you're full of shit?"

David ignored it. "He says you are an evil worker, here to lead us astray from the path!" He called in a dramatic voice.

Angela couldn't help but feel disgusted. It was the very same voice he had used so often, and had her cling to his lips. Now it fuelled her anger.

Another cloud passed by the sun, and this time the sun didn't return. Angela looked up, and saw many dark clouds gathering overhead. But today was supposed to be sunny. Now there was barely a spot of blue left.

And it seemed to get colder as well, though it might just be the wind.

"You are interfering in his judgement!" David then declared.

"Judgement?!" Gohan spat, his calm face breaking. "Do you call this justice? Innocent people dragged out of their homes to be executed without trial solely for what they believe? What have they ever done to you?"

A low rumble echoed, this time actual thunder, coming from above. It seemed to be getting darker as the clouds were getting thicker.

"The Golden God does not impose himself on us." David spoke, but his voice betrayed his insecurity. "He wishes us to place justice upon those who wronged him."

"Justice." Gohan repeated, looking disgusted. "On what ground?"

"What?" David was once again thrown for a loop.

"On what ground are you judging him?" Gohan asked, his voice low and threatening.

"For his crimes against the Golden God!" The fake prophet declared.

"Such as?"

"Stealing the accomplishment of the Golden God himself and using his fame to gain himself riches." David replied. Oh, the hypocrite.

"Where were you during the Cell Games?" Gohan then asked.

"What?"

"You heard me!" He declared.

"I was at my home watching the TV." David replied, clearly not understanding.

"I see." Gohan replied, and turned around, looking at Angela's father now. "And where were you during the Cell Games?"

"At my parent's." He replied, also not understanding.

"And you?" He addressed her.

"With my father."

"And where were you?" He then asked another cultist.

One by one, everyone declared they were someplace safe, watching the Cell Games on the TV. After he was done, Gohan walked back to the middle of the podium.

"Now, can anyone tell me where Hercule Satan was during the Cell Games?" He asked.

Silence. Finally people understood what he was getting at. Most people looked down in shame, but no one replied.

And someone was going to have to, Gohan had asked a question, and him becoming even angrier, well, let's not think about that.

Summoning her courage, Angela spoke up. "At the Cell Games." She said softly.

"Indeed." Gohan replied. "When the world was in danger, when Cell had proven himself to be a global threat, while all of you were hiding in your comfortable homes and watching the TV in the hope someone else would save you, Hercule showed up to fight. He was ready to risk it all for the sake of the world. If you were not there that day, you have no right to judge him!"

"He has stolen from the world, and he will face the consequences." David addressed him. "As will you, impostor!"

Did he really believe Gohan was an impostor? Angela doubted it. He was a man who was clinging to the beliefs of trickery, to justify himself and his claims.

But who was she to judge? A few weeks ago she would have laughed in Gohan's face if he told her the truth.

A flash went off overhead, and a low crackle followed.

' _Is he doing that?'_ Angela suddenly wondered. _'Is he really that powerful, to do that while being in his Human form?'_ She looked up at the gathering clouds. _'Or is it a side effect, a reflection of his emotions?'_ She looked back at the boy in question. _'If so, then just how powerful is he?'_

"And I suppose you will be the one to enact these consequences, in my name no less?" Gohan asked him. The wind was starting to pick up, reminding Angela of the day he revealed his power to the world. "You would have him, and all of these other people, convicted for fraud, when you yourself have lied and deceived for your own personal gain. You condemned them to death so you could get rich."

Gohan's tone was starting to get louder. "You abused the trust people put in you, and were ready to drop them the moment you no longer needed them! You are taking advantage of the confusion to set yourself up at the cost of everyone around you!"

"I am the prophet of the Golden God!" David yelled back. "And you will respect me, or he himself will…" He stopped when a clash of lightning hit the lightning rod of a nearby building, momentarily flashing the entire place in bright pink, and the loud crackle echoed many times off the nearby buildings.

Only now did the people realise how much darker it had become, as the thick clouds were blocking out the sun.

It took a few seconds for the noise to die down. Long seconds. David stood as if petrified, fear now plainly visible on his face.

"How dare you?!" Gohan had dropped the calm attitude, and now spoke with a seething rage, his gentle face disfigured by a grimace, his dark eyes flickering. "What made you think you could get away with this?!"

He swung his hand for emphasis, creating a gust of wind that blew people off their feet.

"I never wanted any of this!" He called loudly. " **Who gave you the right to judge in my name?!** "

The crack of thunder rang, as no less than four lightning bolts hit the nearby buildings within a split second. The flashes lit up the entire area in a pink hue before everything became darker again.

The wind was violent now, making it harder to breathe.

"No, please!" The man fell to his knees, barely audible over the echoing rumbles of the thunder. "I was only trying to bring your justice to these wrongdoers, I never tried to gain anything."

Gohan didn't reply immediately, he didn't even look at the man. He had his eyes, closed, and took a few deep breaths.

Then he opened them again, and lowered them to the shivering figure on the ground. "Even now you try to lie your way out." He replied using that tranquel voice again. "You want my justice? I charge you with crimes against humanity, fraud, persuading others to commit manslaughter. You will be tried by the courts. The government. As it should be!"

He turned his back on the self-proclaimed prophet. A few of the more brave former followers grabbed David by the arms and dragged him along.

Gohan stood silently for a moment.

"What is wrong with you people?" He then asked, no one in particular. "I have fought battles the likes of which you can not even imagine. I have sacrificed years of my life to keep this planet safe. And what did you do? You let yourselves be consumed by greed, committing crime after crime, breaking the peace I worked so hard to gain."

He no longer sounded angry, just sad. Hurt, even, matching his facial expression.

"I've heard preaches about righting wrongs, but what came off it? I have taken a look at many of these so-called rightings. The money that belonged to Hercule Satan was seized in my name, but I never saw a zeni of it! Not just his personal accounts, but the money of his companies, charities, even his daughter's trust fund, it all went into the pockets of a few people! And they called it justice!

How many people have been taking advantage of the confusion to better themselves at the cost of others?

How many times have people invoked the name of the Golden God to justify taking whatever they want?

Many times I have been asked what it is I want. What I want is for this senseless fighting to stop. Cooperate instead of fighting over everything.

Is that really so hard?"

A few drops started falling from the sky, soon followed by many more, as the dark clouds overhead started to release their holdings.

Gohan turned to the Golden Kid. "Take him to… your place." He gestured to Hercule. The kid nodded, took Hercule under the arm, and took off.

As did Gohan.

* * *

Bulma crossed her arms, not having missed a single thing, thanks to the cameras that were broadcasting everything worldwide.

This had not been a good way for Gohan to express himself, and would probably not go the way he had in mind.

Not to mention he kind off blamed the entirety of humanity for the acts of the few.

But in the end, Gohan was only just a teenager, and this was a matter close to his heart.

She thought about his words. Specifically about the part where he mentioned Hercule's money being seized, and people abusing his name for their own ends.

No matter how she looked at it, it just didn't fit.

These were symptoms, not causes.

* * *

 **End of Chapter**

* * *

Thank you for reading. Please, leave me a review and tell what you liked, what you didn't like, what you thought was weird or didn't fit. Or what you thought was good, or hilarious.

By taking a little time to write a review you might end up helping me.

Because right now I have nearly 500 followers, and I have no idea what I'm doing.

¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Ok, that's a little exaggerated, but the only way I will find out what people actually like about my story is if you tell me.

I'd like to thank everyone who did leave me a review, or multiple. It helps, and it also motivates this writer.

And special thanks to MrChuckMan, for taking the time to beta this chapter, as well as add a few things that I hadn't even thought of.


	11. Chapter 11, Desire

A/N:

First, I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to post a review. Ch10 has more than double the usual reviews, and many of them were really helpful.

I'll reply to a few here, but just because I didn't reply doesn't mean I didn't greatly appreciate your input.

 **To Tellemicus Sundance:** Yeah, religion is a sticky mess. Which is why I put it in to begin with. But religion by itself does not need to be bad, especially when it has someone as kind, gentle and physically present (in-universe) as Gohan as it's object of worship.

And this is not over. It has only just begun. Muhahaha.

Just kidding. Or am I? You'll see.

 **To Caspian123:** Interesting point, but I think this is getting a little off topic, and has little to do with this story anymore.

 **To Dr. Blue22:** Thank you, it was really helpful. And I'm glad to hear you've been enjoying my works.

As for my writing, I'm actually still learning. English is a second language to me, and I didn't really pick it up until a few years back, when I started to think of writing fanfiction.

 **To Kage-kitsune9001:** Gohan didn't transform during his rant, though he did come very close.

 **To SFBKludge:** I think I mentioned it somewhere in my notes before, but this story actually started out as Gohan and the others defending the Earth from those energy-stealing aliens.

Also, I really like reading, and I guess writing as well, about Gohan being put in different situations.

 **To the people who say I'm having Drama, or I'm using Bulma as a plot-device:**

To be honest, I'm trying to avoid unrelated drama where I can. I even cut out a large part of my future plans, simply because they didn't have much to do with the story. I think it's for the better.

About Bulma, I've looked back for a bit, and I may have overused her a little. She's just really easy to put in like this, you know?

As for the last part of the last chapter, I think that might have been better as the first part of this one.

Oh well, mistakes happen.

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

 **Desire**

* * *

" _Is that really so hard?"_

They stood in silence as Gohan took off. The broadcast was cut a few seconds later.

Among them, a teenage girl stood up. "I told you so." She said to all of the other cultists in the room. "I told you he doesn't want us to act for him. I told you he doesn't need us to fight for him. But does anyone actually listen to the only person here who actually met him? No!" She slammed her hand on the table.

"Then what is your idea?" One of the others asked.

"You know what it is." She replied confidently. "I've told you a thousand times."

"But he doesn't want us acting for him." The same person protested.

"We're not going to do this in his name, but in our own." The young woman made clear. Despite her age she was still one of the leaders of this organization, but only now did the others actually listen to her.

"It's a way to express our gratitude." She continued. "I know he didn't ask for it, but I'm pretty sure he'd appreciate it. Or do you still think you know better?"

* * *

When she saw Gohan fly off, Marron looked up to her mother. "Why is uncle Gohan angry?" She asked.

"Those people were going to do something very bad." Eighteen replied simply.

"You know, this might actually be a good thing." Krillin suggested. "At least now everyone knows that Gohan isn't just some idea or statue to be worshipped passively, but a person with feelings of his own."

Master Roshi nodded. "The question is, what will they do with it?"

Eighteen rolled her eyes at that last part. "We know what they will do with it." She said. "I think we'd better think of how to help Gohan."

* * *

King Furry frowned. Though he was happy Gohan finally got to speak his mind, this was neither how nor what he had wished for.

Perhaps if he had a conversation with him, a few misunderstandings could be cleared up.

* * *

"He looked angry, didn't he?" Sharpner asked. He just let the TV run. Perhaps something interesting would show up.

"He looked more sad and hurt to me." Erasa replied, her face still lit up with a luminescent blush. She was busy putting her clothes back in place. She had just given Sharpner an image she was certain he was never going to forget. It was her own fault though. She was the one who unhooked herself. And he didn't look for more than a few seconds while she was frozen in place, before politely turning around.

"Yeah, that too." Sharpner nodded as he agreed with her statement. "I guess, now that we know, it is a lot easier to understand why he's upset. I mean, how would you feel if people started executing in your name?"

"Awful." Erasa agreed.

"So, what now?" He asked. "Do you want me to continue the massage?"

"No, thank you." She declined the offer. "I don't think I can relax anymore after that."

"Yeah, that's ok." He stretched himself out a little. "I guess I'll just go get lunch. Request?"

"Chicken Salad please."

* * *

Hercule sat there with his eyes cast down, wringing his hands. Across of him sat the most powerful woman in the world, Bulma Briefs. She was enjoying a cup of coffee. He had one too, but left it untouched, forgotten.

"You've met my son then." Bulma started.

"Yeah." He nodded slightly. His eyes still locked to the rope burns on his wrists. She must be talking about the golden haired kid that brought him here. He didn't even know Bulma had a son.

"He said Gohan told him to bring you here." Bulma continued. "I suppose it would be cruel to just kick you out. But I warn you, you stick your nose in my business, or piss of my husband, and you're going to wish you were still tied up on live TV."

He could feel her glare. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes ma'am." He cringed.

"Good." She continued. "I'll have someone look up an empty room for you. Seriously though, what were you even doing in Golden City? Everyone believed you had fled a long time ago."

"I did." He replied. "But then I got a voicemail. From Videl."

"From Videl?" She replied in disbelief.

"But it was a fake." Hercule continued. "Bait to lure me in. And I fell for it."

"Of course it was a fake." She rolled her eyes. "You didn't think it could be a trap?"

"I did." He replied, making eye contact with her for the first time since he got here. "But if there was even the slightest chance for it to be real, and she really did need my help, I couldn't not go."

"I see." Bulma nodded slowly. It was quiet for a few seconds, a silent understanding from one parent to another. "I guess you don't know where she is now." She then continued. "Take it from me when I say she is someplace safe."

"Someplace safe?" He repeated. He immediately felt concerned. This woman knew something about Videl, and didn't tell him? "Where is it?"

"Gohan took her to a place where no one can reach her." Bulma replied, sipping her coffee.

"Where is she?!" He raised his voice, losing his meek attitude. Sure, he owed them his life, but this was his daughter they were talking about.

"Kami's Lookout." She replied calmly.

"Don't bullshit me!" He snapped at her. "Do you expect me to believe that?!"

"I don't care!" She slammed her cup down hard enough to spill the coffee, and stood up. "I got a lot on my plate right now, and have better things to do than sit here to argue with you! From one parent to another, I will tell you that Videl is perfectly safe, but if you want to know more you'll have to ask her yourself when she comes back."

With that she left the room. Immediately following her departure, another door opened on the other side of the room. At first he thought it was a servant, but banished the thought immediately. His throat dried as he recognised the short but quick-tempered powerhouse from the Cell Games.

"I will give you one warning." The man said softly. "You talk to my wife like that again, and no one will ever find your body, nor discover what I have done to you."

He gulped hard and shook his head up and down. For a second he wondered if everyone here spoke in death threats, but he didn't speak up.

"Good. Now get lost!"

* * *

Gohan set down by his front door. He didn't feel his mother inside, but he did notice Goten heading towards West City.

Oh well, looked like he had a little time to himself. Something he hadn't had much of lately.

He decided to make himself lunch and do a little meditation.

On his way here, he had cooled his head a bit, and realised he had spoken rashly. Sure, it was how he felt, but he knew it was only a few people ruining it for everyone else. As usual.

Hopefully his interview of tomorrow had not yet been cancelled. He hoped he could clear a few things up by then.

About two hours later, Gohan was reading his science book, though not really able to concentrate. Well, the fact that he read it so many times he could copy it by memory certainly didn't help either.

He was interrupted when the phone rang.

It was his grandfather, to tell him the press conference of tomorrow had been cancelled.

And the King had requested his audience instead, at the time the conference was, on live TV.

* * *

Back at Sharpner's place, Erasa was talking to one of her friends over the phone. But not just any friend, this one had connections to people working in ZTV. It was how she and Sharpner managed to get their interview in the first place.

And she learned a few interesting things. Like Gohan's speech making some waves, as it should, but also some confusion as to what he meant.

They'd like someone to speak up and explain a few things. Someone who knew Gohan personally.

And Erasa became determined to become that someone. The difficult part would be convincing Sharpner, since she believed she was going to need his help. She supposed she'd cross that bridge when she gets there.

While Erasa was on the phone with a friend of hers, Sharpner was surfing the web.

The revelation that Gohan was half human, half alien, no god, had got him thinking. He just couldn't shake the thought. If Gohan wasn't a god, and even half-human to boot, then why shouldn't he be able to learn to manipulate his life force too?

As he thought about it, he remembered the tales of the past tournaments. With the power of the internet, researching them was a piece of cake.

However, finding exactly what he needed to know? Not so much.

Erasa's laugh reached his ears. He found himself smiling a little. She had not spoken to any of her other friends lately, and had a lot of catching up to do. Of course, she knew better than to mention Gohan directly.

After the fiasco with her last interview, he believed she decided to keep her mouth shut.

Seeing her laugh like that made Sharpner think about his classmates, and his fellow students of the Satan School of Martial Arts. He wondered how they were doing, if they faced harassment.

They probably did. He and Erasa got the worst of it at the start, but that died down when people realised they were still friends with Gohan. But the others didn't have that luxury.

Sitting here worrying won't help them, so he went back to his little search. It was amazing how much information was just waiting to be dug up, once you knew the right keywords.

Scrolling through his current search results, he came across a surprising bit of information. Given the events that had occurring lately, he must have been too busy to notice.

The World Martial Arts Tournament this year will be cancelled, due to lack of funding.

That made sense. Hercule was the main sponsor, and all of his money was now gone.

Then Erasa came in, figuratively snagged him by the ear and dragged him along to her house. She needed a few things.

* * *

Around this time, somewhere in a dark room were two people. A master and his servant.

"It would seem that the tournament has been cancelled." He spoke to his master.

"Well, there goes plan B." The master replied casually, and shrugged in indifference. "Oh well, back to plan A!"

* * *

On his way to the Lookout, Gohan was taking a small break, watching Videl's training with Korin, but decided not to interrupt her

He watched as she came so close to grabbing the Sacred Water she actually touched the thing.

It wouldn't be long now. That girl truly did have talent.

After indulging himself for a small time, he continued flying up, and soon enough he landed on the white tiles.

"Hey." Dende greeted him without looking back. The Namekian was standing at the edge, looking down to the Earth.

"Hey" Gohan returned as he walked towards the other. "What are you doing?" He wondered.

"Watching." Dende replied simply. "There is something going on, but I can't pinpoint it. It is almost like something is hiding from my view."

"There has been a lot going on lately, hasn't it?" Gohan asked.

"True, it is only one of many things." The guardian agreed. "But this one worries me. But how are you doing?" Dende finally looked up at the other. "I heard you have a talk with the King of the World tomorrow."

"A little nervous." Gohan admitted. "I wonder why he suddenly wants to talk to me."

"Probably to do what he can to stabilise things." Dende replied. "By the way, he is a lot more nervous than you are. After all, you're meeting a king, but he is meeting a God."

"I am not a…" Gohan started, but thought the better of it. Besides, Dende was only teasing him. But it did remind him of something.

"Now that most of the world has suddenly turned religious, did you get more work or something?" He wondered.

"To be fair, people don't **have** to believe in me." Dende returned. "But no, a lot less actually, since they are praying to you rather than me."

"That makes sense." He nodded.

"Would you like my job?" Dende suddenly offered. "Half the planet is praying to you already, and you'd be an actual god."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Gohan denied. "I don't think I'm the right person for that kind of work. Besides, wouldn't that make the Dragon Balls disappear?"

"Not really, I think." Dende replied. "The ones Kami made have became inactive when he fused with Piccolo, but Piccolo can't create Dragon Balls even now, so I guess that does make sense." (F*ck you, GT.)

"Well, I don't want to replace you, you're doing a good job." Gohan argued. "As for now, I think I'll pass by Bulma's for some advice on what to say."

"Well, you could always tell your backstory, but I'm not sure how well the Humans will take it." Dende suggested. "Remember how much a shock it was when your father learned he was part of an alien species of warriors as powerful as himself. And that shock was by people who were powerful fighters themselves, or have known them for a long time. Imagine how people who didn't would react."

"I guess you're right." Gohan nodded. "But besides that, what should I tell them?"

"What do you want to tell them?" Dende asked. "But if you ask me, I think your father is an excellent place to start. After all, he is pretty famous already."

"Good point." Gohan admitted.

* * *

Dende watched as the young half-blood made his way to West City. The two had talked for a while, and Piccolo had joined them sometime as well.

"I asked him to take over my place as guardian." Dende told Piccolo.

"What did he say?" The other asked, though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"He said he wouldn't be the right kind of person for the job." He replied. "Personally, I think you'd have a hard time finding someone more qualified than him."

"If he doesn't take the job out of his free will, then that's the end of it." Piccolo spoke. "This is not a burden you can just push on someone."

* * *

"It's ok to be nervous." Bulma tried to put the teen at ease. "Just be yourself, and the people will get to know the real you."

It was in the early evening. Gohan had pretty much barged in on her, and started asking questions.

"But what if the king asks me something I don't want to talk about?" Gohan asked.

"Just say you don't want to talk about that at the moment." The woman replied. "Seriously, Gohan. You're a deity now, you're allowed to throw your weight around for a bit, you know?"

"It wouldn't be right to just take advantage of the people like that." Gohan argued.

"You really are just like your father." Bulma sighed, thinking of times past. "If it was Trunks in your shoes, he'd have crowned himself God Emperor on the second day, if we're lucky." She reflected.

"Hey!" Trunks called from the other room, where he and Goten were playing.

"It's true, and you know it." Bulma called back through the door. She smiled slightly as she shook her head. "Why don't you keep the two of them company for a while, before they start ticking off Vegeta again." She suggested. "I'll see if I can pull a few strings."

"Thanks Bulma, you're the best." He said happily as he zipped out the door.

"And don't you forget it." She returned playfully. Then she thought for a second. The main problem was people being afraid of Gohan, she knew that much, and his little outburst earlier today was not going to help either.

So what to do? Then she got an idea. And reached for the phone, dialling Kame-House.

The phone rang. And rang. And no one picked up.

"Hey Trunks." Bulma called the boy. "Is there anyone at Kame-House?"

The boy was quiet for a moment as he turned his head to the east. "Uhh… I think Krillin and Yamcha are around there." He replied. Of course, he can't sense Eighteen, and Master Roshi was probably overshadowed.

Perhaps they happened to be outside? Bulma just tried again.

It rang. And again. Then someone picked up. It was a little voice that answered her. "Daddy says the ring tone is annoying, so don't call."

"Marron!" Bulma heard Krillin scream in the background.

"Can you pass the phone to your daddy?" Bulma asked, barely able to hold in her giggles.

"It's for you, daddy." Marron yelled.

"I'm not here." She heard Krillin reply.

"Daddy says he's not here." That one made Bulma snort. Ah, the innocence of children.

"It's me, Bulma." She said between her giggles.

"It's aunty Bulma." Marron informed her father.

"Bulma?" Krillin sounded surprised. "Why is she calling all of a sudden?"

"What do you want?" Marron asked Bulma.

"Just give it to me, ok?" She heard Krillin say.

"Ok." And the phone was handed over.

"Hey Bulma." Krillin said. "Sorry about that. The phone has been ringing almost constantly for days."

"What for?" She asked.

"People wanting to study Turtle Style." Krillin replied. "But Master Roshi is not taking students, and neither am I."

"I thought you'd be happy." She pointed out.

"I am, but Master Roshi says all of these people are doing it for the wrong reasons. Besides, it's too soon."

"I suppose that's true." Bulma agreed. "But listen, I have a favour to ask. You've heard about the interview Gohan is going to have tomorrow, right? I've been thinking, maybe one of us should come along with him, and help him explain a few things?"

The once-bald monk had to think for a second. "I don't know." He stated his doubts. "I don't think explaining things will help right now. People are just too afraid to try to understand." He paused for a second. "But that gives me an idea."

* * *

Late at night, Sharpner laid on his bed, thinking of today.

Gohan had came to school, came home with them, stopped a mugging while at it, revealed he was part alien, stopped a live execution and gave a little speech.

Quite a lot for one day. It was going to take a while for it all to sink in. He looked at the dark roof. What time was it anyway?

A soft noise reached his ears. Someone was walking through the house. His first thought was 'burglar', but dismissed it. It was probably Erasa. He wouldn't be surprised if that girl was kept awake by the same thoughts.

But what if it wasn't? A slight worry snuck in his head. He supposed he should go check it out. But before he could do that, the door opened.

He glanced towards it. Though it was too dim to see clearly, he recognised Erasa's outline.

"Sharpner." She whispered. He was about to reply when he wondered why she'd whisper. If she wanted to wake him, whispering wouldn't do the trick. And if she didn't, why say anything at all?

"Hey, Sharpner." She called again, equally soft. No, she was just checking if he was asleep.

And she decided he was, as she closed the door again. But didn't leave. No, she snuck over to his bed. And climbed on it, over him and nestled herself between him and the wall.

"What are you doing?" He asked softly.

He felt her shake in shock and a small squeal escaped her lips. "You're awake?" She asked in a slight panic.

"No." He replied.

"Forget about it." She said, and got up. He grabbed around the middle as she tried to leave, and pulled her back down.

"No." He said simply. "What are you doing?"

"It's not important." She replied, pulling on his arm, but her strength was no match for his.

"This is the second time you sneak in." He replied. "What are you doing?"

"Let me go!" She struggled.

"Not before you tell me." He said.

He felt her thump back down on her back, right on top of him.

"I can't sleep." She confessed. "I can't sleep, ok!"

"Is it because of today?" He asked, thinking of the speech Gohan had given. Or perhaps the talk they had with him earlier.

"No." She shook her head. "I'm just… I dream. About… those guys."

She didn't have to say who those guys were. Sharpner let go of her, but she just remained on top of him.

At day she had kept up a tough front, but now she had put down her mask.

It wasn't the event itself so much as what it was a symptom of. They were feeling weak, and powerless, and Sharpner wouldn't be surprised if the most of Humanity was feeling this way.

At least the two of them had someone to share it with, and to draw strength and courage from.

"You know, I've dreamed about them too." Sharpner confessed. Erasa wasn't the only one putting up a front.

"But in my dream, I can't fight them." She then stated.

"What?" He had not expected that one. He wasn't sure if he felt angry, or just feeling her pain.

"I know that didn't happen, but I just keep having that dream." He couldn't see her face in the dark, but from the sound of her voice, she was either crying, or close to it. "I wanted to talk last night, but you were asleep already, so I just laid down for a bit. And I didn't dream. So I thought…" She broke off.

He reached up to stroke her over the cheek. It was still dry. Rather than being afraid of the guys, she was more afraid to lose him and his support. And it made him feel guilty.

"Do you want to stay here tonight?" He offered out of the blue.

"Yes." She replied immediately.

He shuffled over towards the edge of the bed, and gently pushed her between him and the wall. Erasa laid on top of his arm, which he didn't appreciate since he could already feel his blood flow being restricted.

Though when he tugged on it, Erasa just used it as her pillow instead. And pressed her side into his.

Right on his sensitive bruise, the one he got when he was knocked down and kicked. It made him do a sharp intake of air, which Erasa didn't miss.

She got off his arm, turned around and let her fingertips slide gently over his side.

"Does it hurt?" She asked, sounding concerned.

"A little." He confessed. "It'll be gone soon enough, don't worry about it." He tried to put her, and himself, at ease.

She laid back down, though at this time Sharpner had taken back his arm.

"Are we going to practice tomorrow?" She then asked.

"If you want." He replied.

She made a slight chuckle. "Thank you." And turned her back to him.

No reply. He didn't have to, as Erasa made it pretty clear she just wanted to sleep. And so did he, for that matter.

But having the girl so close he could feel her body heat, even though he wasn't touching, well, it didn't help the poor guy at all.

Sharpner turned face-down, pondering, and trying his hardest not to recall the sight of Erasa's bare top. Which of course didn't work. A certain reaction was making itself known, one he felt immensely guilty for having.

She was trusting him to the point of sleeping in one bed, and he couldn't get immoral thoughts about her out of his head.

' _Ugh, you know what?'_ He sighed. _'I'm a guy, I do guy things, and think guy thoughts. It's not like I'm going to act on it. If she finds out, I'll just say I'm a guy and I have little control over that sometimes.'_

It made him feel a little less guilty, and after a short time, which felt much longer than it actually was, he too fell asleep.

* * *

When Sharpner woke up, he noticed four things.

One, something was tugging back on his hair. Two, he was laying face-down. Three, there was something warm, soft, large and somewhat heavy moving slightly about on his back. Four, he was drilling a hole in the mattress.

He needed a second to remember last night, where he let Erasa sleep here with him.

After feeling another tug, which he assumed to be her doing something with his hair, he opened his eyes and tried to look back, which resulted in a rather painful tug.

"Don't move." He heard her say, and felt her voice vibrate on his back. That hole just got little bigger. "Also, good morning, sleepyhead." She said in a cheerful tone, one that told him she had been awake for a little while now.

"What are you doing?" He asked in his raspy morning voice.

"I woke up like this, and I don't feel like moving." She replied, tugging yet again.

"So what are you actually doing?" He asked again.

"I'm braiding your hair." She replied as if it was the most normal thing to do.

…

He needed a second to understand that. "Why?" He then asked.

"Because I've been wanting to do that even since you started growing it out, and now I finally have a chance." Erasa replied happily.

Well, at least she was acting like her old self again. Looked like she had a good night's of rest.

"Videl never let me braid her hair, you know?" Erasa continued.

"Ow." Sharpner made a scene when she tugged again. "I can see why."

"Don't exaggerate." She returned. "You didn't wake up until I was almost done."

"Done?" He suddenly had a horrible vision of looking at himself in the mirror and seeing hundreds of little braids needing hours to untangle.

"Yeah, with this one." She replied.

' _Oh thank Kami.'_ Sharpner breathed in relief. _'Or Gohan. Or whatever.'_

Another tug sent a bit of pain through his scalp.

"Can't you be a little more gentle?" He complained.

"Sorry, I've never done this before." She answered, not sounding sorry at all.

"Yeah, I can tell." He remarked.

More tugging.

"What time is it anyway?" He wondered out loud.

"Half past ten." She replied.

"Wait what?" The only reason he didn't catapult up was because of the person on top of him. "Did I just sleep for twelve hours?" To be fair, he only went to bed twelve hours ago. He had no idea what time Erasa came around.

"I guess." She replied.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked, a little random, but hey.

"Yeah." She replied shortly.

"Did you dream?"

"Nope, no dreams." She replied evenly. Of course, since she was on his back, he couldn't see her shift colours at the question.

She did dream, but it was quite unusual. Involving Sharpner being very close to her. And Gohan being equally close at the same time.

Yeah, Sharpner didn't need to know about that one.

"There." She tied a little ribbon at the end of the braid to keep it together. "Now, for the next one."

"No next one, thank you very much." Sharpner didn't like the idea, and shuffled aside from underneath her.

"Ow." She pouted, which he also didn't see, since he kept his back turned. Mostly to hide a certain appendage of his.

He grabbed himself some clothes and went for the bathroom to freshen up and do some shaving.

'Hm.' He looked in the mirror. Erasa had obviously been planning to divide his hair into four braids, two on the sides and two over the top. She had only done the top right one though.

And he had to admit, ribbon aside, that didn't actually look half bad like this. So he undid the ribbon and turned it into a knot, to keep the braid from untangling.

"Sharpner." He heard Erasa call. "Gohan's talk with King Furry is about to start. You can shave later."

Oh, right, that was still happening.

* * *

"Hey kid." Krillin greeted him cheerfully. "You ready to meet the king?"

Yamcha behind made a chuckle. "Is the king ready to meet Gohan?"

Bulma shook her head, though she also chuckled. "Guys." She muttered under her breath.

"What should I say?" Gohan asked her once again.

"Just be yourself." Bulma repeated herself. "King Furry knows some truths, so don't worry about that."

"Should I keep pretending to be a god?" He asked.

"Just don't outright say one or the other, and you'll probably be good." Bulma replied.

Yamcha swung his arm around Gohan's shoulders. "And be sure to ask for lots of tribute." He grinned.

"Yamcha!" Bulma frowned.

"What?" He asked defensively. "We're not all swimming in money. This is our opportunity."

"Just go." Bulma said to Gohan. "You'll be fine. Oh, and maybe start off as a Super Saiyan? Make a good impression and all that."

* * *

Gohan levitated over Central City, towards the kings palace. Beneath him was a large crowd, with plenty of cameras on the sky. He had taken Bulma's advice and turned Super Saiyan beforehand, and with his shining aura he'd be hard to miss.

At the gate there was a free circle, made by guards, as well as a cleared path to the inside.

Flashes went off as he flew over the crowd. The noise died down considerably. He landed in the free space, between the guards keeping many reporters and other people at bay.

He heard many voices, some calling him by his name, some calling him other names, despot, demon, that kind of thing.

But there was one voice that stood out. "Uncle Gohan!" He looked in the direction it came from, and got a glimpse of a blond little streak slipping underneath a guard's legs and head towards him.

He caught the little girl as she jumped up to him. "Hey Marron." He said, taken aback. "What are you doing here?"

"Mommy and I came to see you." She replied as she reached for his glowing hair.

Gohan looked around. Of course, Eighteen didn't have energy to sense, so he had to find her the old fashioned way.

It only took him a second. The woman was just behind the row of reporters. Their eyes met, and she gave him a small nod.

Marron probably didn't escape by accident.

"Are you going to meet the king?" Marron asked him. "Daddy said it was ok I come if you let me. Can I?"

"Err…" Gohan looked over at Eighteen again, who gave another nod. "Sure."

"Yeay!" She called enthusiastically. She was the only voice now. While he was busy figuring out what Marron was doing here, the adults seemed to have lost their ability to speak.

* * *

Bulma leaned back with a grin, sipping her wine. She, Krillin, Yamcha, Chichi, Trunks and Goten were gathered in a room, sitting on or around a couch. On the large TV was Gohan, in his Super Saiyan, aura up, glowing up a storm, holding a little girl, who was perfectly comfortable being held despite the golden energy flowing around her.

"What is she doing there?" Chichi next to her asked.

"My idea." Krillin took credit. "We all know Marron has taken a liking to Gohan. I thought it would help make him a little less scary."

"But then, why'd you suggest he'd go as a Super Saiyan?" Yamcha wanted to know. "Isn't that counterproductive?"

"No, it isn't." Bulma replied. "Because now the news finally sees him as he is. Powerful, but also kind and gentle. I wanted someone to come along with him, and explain how he is a nice guy, but this is actually much better."

* * *

Gohan walked down the path cleared for him, Marron on his arm. The people around him regained a few of their higher brain functions, and flashes were going off once more.

Hs had put his aura away, but kept the transformation. Bulma advised him to be Super, and now he heard that Krillin had told Marron she could come along, without even asking Gohan. Yeah, they were trying to help him reduce his image of fear.

There were plenty of people calling for him from the sidelines, reporters hoping for a few words. But he ignored them. He had somewhere to be.

Inside there was a path leading him to a large room, where he saw a raised podium in the middle of a crowd, with two armchairs around a small table. One was occupied.

Not bothering with the stairs Gohan flew up to the podium, landed on the edge and walked forwards.

The king stood up, and had his hand extended. "Welcome." He said as the two shook hands. "I'm glad you could come. And do I see a little hitchhiker?"

"I'm not hisshiser, I'm Marron." She replied defiantly.

"Nice to meet you, Marron." He shook hands with her as well. "Is she yours?" The king then asked Gohan.

"No, she's from a close friend of mine, but I am her godfather." Gohan replied.

"Is she one of you?" He asked.

"One of…" He repeated before be caught on. "Oh, no, she's a perfectly ordinary girl. Both her parents have the abilities though. I don't know if they will teach her, but for now, no."

"Are you the king?" Marron asked.

"Yes, I am." He replied kindly.

"But you're a dog." She pointed out. "Why don't you bark?"

"I'm not a dog, I'm a person shaped like a dog."

"I'm sorry." Gohan grinned as he apologised on her behalf.

"It happens all the time, don't worry about it." The king waved it away. "But come, let us sit down." He gestured to the chairs.

Gohan did just that, setting Marron on his lap.

"Here we are then." King Furry started. "A lot has happened these last few days, hasn't it? And you've made a lot of waves."

"You can say that again." Gohan agreed. He let Marron stand up so she could play with his blonde hair. "I never imagined it would all escalate like this."

"I suppose that is why you didn't call a press conference immediately?" The other asked.

"I underestimated how much of an impact I would have." Gohan replied. This wasn't quite what he had in mind, but he supposed he could fall back to talking about his father when things fell silent. "By the way, I didn't return that day. I never left since the Cell Games. None of us have. We just prefer to keep to ourselves. And going public would expose us. So I was hoping the whole thing would solve itself."

"You pretended it wasn't there and hoped it would go away?" The king asked, humoured.

"Sort off." He admitted. "But I've changed my mind. I guess I can no longer afford to stand and watch."

"Then what are you planning?"

"I'm not sure yet. I thought a press conference to clear a few things up would be a good start. But then yesterday happened."

"Ah, yes. I've seen the broadcast" The king nodded. "Do you really believe those people would have gone through with it?"

"They very well might have. But it was mostly one person manipulating the group. The moment I arrived his followers could have been the captives for all he cared."

"And you were understandably upset. But what are you going to do now? The world is in turmoil, and the truth we believed in turned out to be a lie all along. It is not something the world can just bounce back from."

"I am well aware. But I have faith in Humanity. Right now, the world is going through a transition of some sorts, but I believe you can sort yourselves out."

"So you will not intervene directly? Some are saying you should take an active role in keeping the peace. Others believe you should turn yourself over to the government to be researched." King Furry said. It looked like he had a list of points he wanted to go over. It suited Gohan just fine.

"First off, I have never even heard of these before." The boy pointed out.

"They are opinions expressed in more private circles. The general public believes you to be divine, and would most certainly take offence."

"But if everyone says something because they believe everyone says so, then yes, everyone says so." Gohan reasoned out loud.

This made a confused frown appear on Furry's face. "I'm sorry, but I'm not following you."

"What I mean is, everyone thinks that most people in the world worship me." He explained himself. "I highly doubt it. Or at least, I doubt everyone who says they worship me actually do so." At this point he started addressing the people watching rather than the king. "But that is fine. You don't have to believe in me. Well, my existence and powers are a documented fact at this point, so it's not really belief anymore." He felt the need to point out. "But if you don't want to worship me, that's perfectly fine. You have the right of free speech, and I am not taking that away from you, nor will I allow anyone else to do so. If you do want to worship me, by all means, go ahead. Just don't expect me to answer you or repay you, nor should you try to force others to follow your way of thinking."

"You don't care either way?" The other asked, though he didn't sound all that surprised. Then again, the king already knew that, and was probably only asking for the viewers.

"No, I don't." Gohan replied firmly. "We have kept to ourselves because we prefer to be left alone. We will protect our home when necessary, from outside or inside threats, but it is not our job to rule it. Nor to police it. And we shouldn't have to. We don't have to, as a matter of fact." He smiled slightly as he thought of something. "Before I revealed myself the world had an unprecedented era of worldwide peace and prosperity. You don't need us, humanity is perfectly capable of looking after itself."

"So it might seem, but some would argue that the peace from before was nothing but an illusion, and it was people like you who kept the world safe from behind the scenes." The king argued, though still sounding polite and tactful.

"That is true, but the peace was no illusion. That was the result of global cooperation, not of a few fighters."

"And the removal of certain threats. Like the Red Ribbon Army."

"Not really, Gohan disagreed. "At the time it was them against the world already. And just removing them isn't enough for world peace. The people themselves have to work for it."

He was distracted when Marron started tugging on his shirt. "Uncle Gohan." She called. "You're my favourite uncle of all time."

"Aw, that's sweet of you." He smiled at her, wondering where that came from.

"Can I have ice-cream?"

That made both Gohan and King Furry burst out laughing, as did most of the audience.

"If you're good." Gohan rubbed her over her head, chuckling to himself. "We can go get some when we go."

"But I'm bored." She complained.

Gohan made a small ball of golden energy, glowing slightly, and letting it float about.

King Furry smiled slightly. "You are seventeen, aren't you?" He suddenly asked.

"Eighteen, actually." He replied, somewhat taken aback. "I've spend a year outside of time and space."

"Wait what?" The king did a double take. "What for?"

"I was training with my father for the Cell Games." Gohan replied simply.

"I suppose that's what you meant when you said you sacrificed years of your life." The king recalled.

"I already had several years of training at the time already. Cell was only the last of a series of people." Gohan explained shortly.

"Then I suppose you are still training for the next threat?" Furry asked directly.

This made Gohan blush slightly in shame. "Not exactly." He admitted. "Ever since the Cell Games I've let go of my training, and settled down in peace."

"But why?"

"Because I could." Gohan replied honestly. "I've only ever fought because I had to. I never liked fighting. I never liked having to hurt people. And now, I don't have to anymore. The fights are over."

"That does open a question." The king hooked in once again. "Why did you have to fight?"

"Because I am powerful." He answered simply. "That power was needed back then. At my peak, during the Cell Games, I was by far the most powerful. Today I daresay I have been surpassed. But that's fine. I will fight if I have to, but I won't if I don't have to. It has always been like that."

"There are others more powerful?" Furry sounded worried, and not entirely ungrounded.

"I don't know for sure, but there are others at least in the same league as myself." Gohan explained. He swirled the ball of energy in his palm for a bit, tempting the toddler on his lap into chasing it.

"I see." The King nodded. "That reminds me, that one glowing kid, well, he was obviously glowing, but he mentioned something about his father doing something terrible if he get's angry. Should we be worried about that?"

"Well, he is in my own league, and he does have a bit of a temper, and a bit of a history." Yeah, just a little bit. "But I don't think it is anything to worry about. I have known him for most of my life. He has a few rough spots, but he always came through where it mattered."

"Well, I'm sure that's a relief for many of our viewers." The King smiled slightly. "I believe that covers everything I was planning to ask you. Is there anything you'd like to address, or perhaps ask me?"

Gohan thought for a second. "Not really, no." He then replied.

"Then would you perhaps mind indulging me?" The king started. "Like I said before, you're still only a teenager, yet when I see you, and talk to you, you seem so much older than that. Is that a part of your heritage as well?"

"Not really." Gohan shook his head. "I suppose it has more to do with the way I was raised. I was forced to mature in order to deal with the things I went through."

"So, in a way, you sacrificed your childhood for the sake of the world." The king tried to summarise.

"There's more to it than that." He protested. "It wasn't like I was forced into anything. I had a choice, just like everyone else. But unlike everyone else, I was only a kid. And soon enough, that life was all I knew. But after the Cell Games that was over. I could go back to the life that I was ultimately fighting to have, but hardly remembered."

The King smiled as he nodded. "I understand. And I'm glad you have found the peace and happiness you were looking for."

He made a gesture to his side, and promptly there were two people walking towards the two of them, who placed two things on the table.

One a single small box, the other three of the same boxes fitted together.

"You are the son of Son Goku, are you not?" Furry asked, more as a point to start rather than an actual question.

"Yes, I am." Gohan answered.

"There has been something I have been meaning to give to him." The king opened the one box. "The Blue Star Medal, the highest honour in my power to grant. I wished to hand this to your father for his defeat of King Piccolo all these years ago, but he disappeared on me after the fight, and we could never track him down, until recently."

"I see." Gohan replied, looking at medal. He had always known his father was well known, but this?

"It has been sitting in a storage safe ever since, gathering dust." The king continued "I know it is a bit unusual, I suppose handing it to you in his memory would be an appropriate gesture."

Gohan nodded to herself. "I'm sure my mother would like it" He said.

"And I have something for you as well." The King continued. He opened the first little box of the set of three. "The Purple Heart, granted to those who killed or wounded in the service of the army. Though you're technically not a part of the army, you did fight against Cell, and sustained injuries during that brutal fight, so I daresay no one is going to object to me giving you this."

He opened the second box. "The Silver Cross, given to those who have shown courage and valour in battle, disaster or other hazardous circumstances. I give it to you for your many acts of kindness and selflessness that you no doubt have committed before and since the Cell Games."

He opened the last box. "And for the Cell Games themselves, I give you the Blue Star Medal, the highest honour I can grant."

"That is really not necessary." Gohan could feel himself going red. "I didn't do it for a reward. And besides, I didn't do it alone."

"I am well aware." The king replied. "Usually there is a whole ceremony, and a long, drawn-out speech, but considering your motivations, I don't think I'd be doing you a favour." He closed the boxes and pushed them towards Gohan. "So, please accept these as a token of our gratitude. As for the others, there is currently a debate going on as to who and what." Furry made a sweeping gesture. "Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, among others I believe would prefer to remain anonymous."

"How do you know?" Gohan asked out of a sudden curiosity.

"I have spoken to your grandfather, the Ox King, and he has explained a great many things to me." Furry replied. "They will get their due, don't worry. Though I think it would be best if I just made an announcement and sent the things over the mail, or something like that."

"I suppose." Gohan laughed.

The king stood up, and so did Gohan. The two shook hands again. "It was a pleasure speaking to you here today." Furry said kindly. "And I am glad to hear you haven't given hope on Humanity just yet."

Gohan just grinned foolishly, as he had no idea how he should respond to that.

"And you." The king addressed Marron. "Be nice to uncle Gohan, ok?" He pinched the girl's cheek.

"We're going to have ice-cream." She stated happily. Ah, Gohan had almost forgotten about that.

"I'm sure we'll meet again." King furry said. "I wish you the best of luck."

"You too."

* * *

Bulma turned the TV off. "That actually went pretty well." She admitted.

"Yeah, if they want to twist Gohan's words this time, they'll be really stretching it." Yamcha agreed.

"Oh they'll find a way." Bulma replied. "There is no end to Human stupidity. Or Saiyan stupidity, for that matter." She quickly added, an eye on her husband's sly smirk. "But this will clear up a lot of misunderstandings."

* * *

Somewhere, someplace, sometime after the broadcast with King Furry, a small group of people in matching uniforms had gathered.

"It is a weakness." One of the people stated. "One we can exploit. If we can get the Golden God on our side, global conquest will only be a matter of days, hours even."

"Until we lose the leverage." Another protested. "We will also be at the top of his shit-list."

This ticked their leader off. "Are you questioning my tactics?" He asked.

"Not at all." The protestor replied unflinchingly. "But this is a guy who made an entire city shake with just his voice. I feel like kidnapping a three year old, or basically anything that would piss him off really shouldn't be plan A."

The leader stroked his chin for a moment. "That is actually a pretty good point. Ok, let's hear some other ideas."

* * *

A little time later, Gohan landed on the beach. In his arms he carried a curled up and sleeping toddler, whose clothes were covered in brown and red stains.

He was greeted by Krillin, who scowled at the sight, which made Gohan grin an apology. "I swear, I only took my eyes off her for a second." He tried to excuse himself.

The short man took the girl from his arms. "Judging by the evidence, I herby conclude she has ritually sacrificed a cone of chocolate and strawberry ice-cream." He sounded like a detective.

Gohan nodded as he laughed.

"Ah, kids will be kids." Krillin broke the scowl as he laughed as well. "Did you two have a good time?"

"Yeah." Gohan answered and followed him inside.

* * *

Over the rest of the day, as well as the next one, the talk with King Furry was pretty much the only topic worth talking about.

Gohan delivered the medals to his home, where his mother put Goku's Blue Star Medal in a frame and put it next to Goku's picture.

Gohan's three medals she also framed, and hung up in his room.

Gohan was pretty happy, especially since the plan to make him look less scary had paid off. People were now openly debating him and his powers, making whatever opinions they had known to the world.

They weren't always nice, but at least they could speak up now.

And one voice in particular was interesting. A general of the army. This guy was claiming Gohan should be registered and reveal how his powers worked, so they could safely lock him up for the greater good.

When asked what this greater good was, the man became evasive.

Another general claimed they should elect Gohan as the new King of the World.

A third argued Gohan was a terrorist, whose sole purpose was to kill the king.

Gohan was getting the distinct impression none of those three had been paying attention.

But such is life, and his got a lot more peaceful after his talk. He spent his time at his home, spending quality time with his brother.

* * *

A man sat on his knees, telling his master about the recent events. He told them of the Golden God, and how he was going to be a major problem.

"A touching story, but I highly doubt this so called deity will be a problem to us." The master replied. "We have warriors more than capable of handling anything this planet can throw at us. You will do as you are told."

* * *

Sharpner carried a few bags to his car. Behind him, Erasa was shaking her head at the guy, who insisted he could carry everything in one go.

Yesterday, not long after Gohan's talk, she got a call from her friend at ZTV. They wanted someone who knew Gohan to come over and talk about a few things. And Erasa was at the top of a short list.

But how was she going to tell Sharpner?

Little did she know, Sharpner was having plans of his own, and was wondering how to tell Erasa.

Both of them decided to wait until evening.

Erasa had just pawned one of the jewels she 'borrowed' from Videl, and celebrated by going on a bit of a shopping spree.

Well, they also got groceries, and other things they thought they were going to need.

Seriously, how do adults manage to keep doing that every week? It is so tedious to go through everything, and so tempting to buy other stuff.

The two managed, to some degree of success. Only when they came home they realised they forgot to buy toilet paper, the main reason they went in the first place.

So they set out once more.

A few hours later, after dinner had been had, and the sky was starting to darken, Erasa decided to speak up.

"Just yesterday I got a call from my friend at ZTV." She started. "And they want us to have a little talk about the things Gohan has said. It is scheduled for tomorrow. I know you don't like it, but I think it is best if we both go, so we can give…"

"No." Sharpner interrupted her. "I'm not going." He flat out refused.

"Oh, come on." She rolled her eyes. "This one is actually for Gohan. You know how much he hates appearing in public."

"Not enough to refuse a talk with King Furry on live TV." Sharpner returned. "If he wants you to speak for him, he'd ask you. Besides, I had plans for tomorrow."

"Plans?" She picked up.

"I have heard of a place where the old ways of martial arts are taught." He explained. "The kind that was used at the old tournaments, the kind that Gohan practices. And I want to learn it."

"Learn it?" She repeated. "You're leaving?"

"Yes, I am." He replied evenly.

"But you can't." She panicked. "You can't leave me here alone."

"You can come with me." He offered. "We'll study the old arts together."

"No!" She refused. "I can't leave the city, I'm needed here!"

"I'm pretty sure you're not." He pointed out.

"I AM!" She yelled at him. "Who else is going to explain Gohan's words?!"

"Gohan is not a god-dammed god, and you know it!" He argued. "Stop treating him like one! I swear, it's like you're trying to win him over or something!"

"What if I am?" She returned, to his surprise. "He's gone, so this is the only way I can get his attention! I have been living in Videl's shadow for years. Now I can finally get noticed, and I'm not about to run off!"

That one hurt. Erasa wasn't the only one living in Videl's shadow. And Gohan was casting an ever bigger one now.

In a way, him leaving the city might be his way of trying to escape that shadow.

But there was one thing that bothered him.

"I can't protect you if you do this." He said after several seconds. "People are explaining Gohan's words in a way that fits their view. You try to tell everyone that this or that way is the only correct one, and you'll paint a bull's-eye on your back." He tried to explain. Somewhere between the start and the finish his anger had turned to worry.

"Oh, come on, Gohan would never let that happen." She returned.

"Gohan wasn't there when you were grabbed by those guys either." He replied.

"If you're so concerned, then stay here." She tried.

"No." He refused. "I want to become stronger. Now I have a chance of gaining real power, and I will take it!"

"You bloody hypocrite!" She called him out. "I can't believe you!"

"Yeah, well, did you ever ask me?" He suddenly asked. "Did you ever wonder what is was that I wanted? Did you ask me for my opinion, or my permission even once? No! You're going on and on about what you want, but get pissed off when I want something!"

"I am not!" She protested.

"Yes, you are!" He threw back. "I am going tomorrow, whether you're coming or not!" He stated.

He regretted it the moment the words left his mouth. He wanted her to come along, but he wasn't intending to force the issue like this.

Erasa stuck up her chin, and bit her lip. "Fine." She said, her voice higher than it usually was. "Leave! I don't care!" She turned around to walk away, but Sharpner wasn't having it.

"Why do you have to be so stuck-up?" He asked. "Would it kill you to just let it go for once in you self absorbed life?!"

"Shut up!" She kicked him in the shins, stomped off, and slammed the door behind her.

* * *

"Now what?" A man asked. They were a small group, well armed with assault rifles and body armour, sitting around a round table, upon which there were several papers. The main plan. Abandoned, thanks to Gohan's speech.

"I don't know." The leader admitted. "If the Golden God wants peace, then what do we do?"

"I tell you what we do." Another stood up. "We will protect that peace. We will make sure no one can threaten that peace. It is our duty!"

* * *

"Welcome." The anchor lady greeted Erasa, and gestured for her to sit down. "I thought your friend was going to be here as well."

"No, he couldn't come." Erasa replied, putting up a false smile. "He had to go and do something, so I guess it's just me."

In truth, Sharpner had left long before she got out of bed, taking clothes, food, some of Videl's jewellery and the car with him. He left a note with a phone number, which she threw in the waste bin.

She knew he wanted to become stronger, but she never expected him to feel this strongly about it, to just leave rather than talk about it.

At this time, several hundred miles away from Golden City, Sharpner was standing at the side of the road, arm horizontal, thumb up, trying to hitch a ride.

In his haste to leave this morning he had forgotten about one little detail. He didn't refuel the car, and thus didn't get very far. With no money, and fuel stations not accepting his little trinkets, he wasn't able to refuel either.

But he was determined to get there, one way or the other.

He had his radio with him, and was listening to Erasa's little talk. It wasn't like he had anything better to do now.

Just before the start there had been a news broadcast. Mostly on Gohan's latest actions, though he hadn't done anything since he left King Furry.

There was also some warning about a heavy storm building up near South City, someone claiming to have found the secret of Gohan's power, again, as well as a few reports on the crime rates around the world.

And it had gone down rather than up.

Especially in Golden City the crime suddenly went down a lot. Probably due to Gohan showing his less dangerous side, putting people at ease a little. There was even a mention of people returning to the city.

The news errant also had something on a few some stabbings in a few villages by West City. It was attributed to some turf war between cultists. Though it was rather strange, as some of the autopsies revealed that the victims had not lost much blood, nor were the puncture wounds all that deep.

* * *

Flying high in the sky was a golden cloud with a young lady sitting on it, moving away from Korin Tower.

She was looking down to the land below. Large fields of golden wheat alternated by green grass with livestock, occasionally interrupted by a road or farm. It looked so peaceful from up here. And a lot warmer too. She shivered.

She was headed towards Golden City, but mostly for the lack of having anywhere else to go. For a moment she thought of her two friends. Even though they had denounced her in public, she wished to talk to them, to explain herself to them.

And yet, she wouldn't.

What if they didn't care? What if they just called the cops, or anyone one else on her, and stabbed her in the back again?

She barely got out of the city last time. Next time, she wouldn't be so lucky.

Besides, it was where Gohan lived, and went to school. If school was still open. But was she really just going to pop in, and expect everyone to just accept her. Could she accept them? Could she accept the change, now that everyone knew the truth? Now that she knew the truth?

She wanted to meet Gohan, but then what? Was she going to hang around him, not able to do anything more than annoy him? What a way to express your gratitude.

Making up her mind, she changed course for the north.

"I'm sorry Gohan." She said softly to herself. "But it is probably better if I didn't come back."

* * *

 **End of Chapter**

* * *

Thank you all for reading, and for supporting me. Seriously, every time I read through the reviews I just grin like an idiot and become really motivated to write more.

And yeay, Videl's back. It took a little longer than I had intended. Also, she's not 'back' back, but at least she's part of the story again.

By the way, I think this is my most light-hearted chapter of Golden God yet. But it's not all doom and misery. Just like there will always be bad things happening, there will also always be good things happening.

Such is life.

As usual, special thanks to MrChuckMan.

Please, leave a review with your thoughts, opinions and/or speculations.

(I'm going on a bit of a rant here.)

I read someone asking about Trunks being reprimanded for his behaviour on live TV, and in fact, I did have something in mind like that, but it just didn't fit in anywhere, so lets just say that happened off-screen.

I've got a little bad news. The next chapter is a bit of a mess. Like, Gohan is acting two kinds of OOC and is swinging between them like a jojo. It would be funny if it wasn't so painful to read.

I also got good news. I finally dotted out (more or less) where this story will end up. And more good news, I do in fact plan on sticking around to finish this story. I'm not sure how long it's going to be, since this story has a habit of growing bigger than I expect.

Like, Ch2 and 3 were supposed to be one chapter, as was 6 and 7, and 5, 8 and 9.

The chapters themselves are also growing bigger. The first 3 are just under 5k. This one and the next one are double that.

I'd also like to point out that Bulma's comment on having Gohan _'throwing his weight around'_ because _'he is a deity now'_ is something Gohan will be ignoring, because he's Gohan. Just to clarify.

As for the people who say they want to do Gohan's bidding, yeah, they SAY they do. Let's just let their actions speak for themselves.

By the way, I've noticed how I'm always using those Line Breaks to separate scenes, but this chapter had quite a lot of those. Is that actually a good idea? I started putting the breaks both before and after the titles and the 'end' to make it clearer.

But lately I've been thinking about trying something new.

Thoughts?


	12. Chapter 12, Choice

A/N: I'm still alive!

And I have officially breached the 50K views benchmark. Yeay, I guess? I thought the increase in views per day, views on upload, favourites and follows would slow down.

I was wrong.

Seriously though, thank you all for supporting me. Makes me want to go that extra mile in polishing my story.

 **To guest Just So You Know:** I could say that Videl is quite a bit stronger than a normal Human, and now knows how to use her energy as well, but in the end, I knew about that, but kinda ignored it for the sake of improving the story.

Same goes for the conversation while falling. After all, the characters regularly have conversations while flying at extremely high speeds.

Besides, I'm not sure if falling at that speed is actually dangerous. People do it all the time. Though, I admit, not for nearly as long. But it's not the fall itself that kills you.

 **To shadowwriter01:** Yeah, Gohan does have a bit of blame, doesn't he? He's not a perfect god, and that's kind of the point.

Bringing Cell up when the Red Ribbon Army was mentioned? Hm, why didn't I think of that? Oh well, in the end, it doesn't really matter.

 **To MindForgedMan:** Yeah, Gohan could have brought in all the cults already. If he knew where to find them. The world, or even just Satan City (or Golden City) is a big place. He has no idea where they are, and can only act when they show themselves in public.

At least, for now.

 **To everyone telling me to update** **(also includes all other stories):** Keep repeating that, it will make it go faster.

Jokes aside, this chapter lagged behind for quite a bit. I wasn't sure on how I was going to do things, and I didn't like some characterisation much either. Not to mention I burned through all of my chapters. I like being ahead a little, it allows me to write coherently and polish a little better.

I also decided to get rid of a couple of future plots. In the end they didn't contribute anything to the overall story.

I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

 **Choice**

* * *

After leaving the studio, Erasa was walking back to Sharpner's place. At least the guy was thoughtful enough to leave her a key.

Her live interview had gone well. She focused on Gohan's feelings towards being worshipped and why he didn't like violence. She kept her mouth shut about his alien origin. That detail was not hers to share, she knew that much.

She had been allowed to talk for quite a while, and enjoyed everything about it. The feeling was far better than she could have imagined. The entire audience held their breath while she spoke. Her words had weight, meaning. Power. Sharpner's disapproval had been completely forgotten. Drowned out in her own importance. At least it was at the time.

Now she found herself unable to take her mind off of him. Why did he just leave? They could have talked, made a compromise, anything. Nope, he grabbed his stuff and ran off.

To a place be believed he could learn how to do whatever it was Gohan did. Like flying and shooting lasers.

As she continued walking down the street the high of the interview started wearing off, and the guilt was beginning to set in. His arguments had made a lot of sense.

Of course she wanted to impress Gohan, but he wasn't here. She didn't even know for sure if he would hear her words.

And now Sharpner was gone too. Just like he said, she was on her own. Maybe even with a target on her back. after all, she was still associated with Videl just as much as she was with Gohan.

' _Why didn't I just go with him?'_ She wondered to herself. _'If it really meant that much to him, surely my interview could have waited.'_

She shook her head at herself. It was no use thinking about that anymore. He left, and she was going to have to move back to her place. After all, it would be rude to stay in his house after he had left.

So she decided she was going to gather her stuff, and whatever was left, and leave this evening.

Looking down the street, it suddenly felt a lot longer. More dangerous.

For the first time since this all started, she felt really alone.

Her light walk turned into a brisk jog.

* * *

Sharpner looked on as the asphalt flew below him. Sand as far as the eye could see. His hitchhiking had proven to be successful, as a cargo driver had mercy and let him ride as far as the next town. Which, given the number of buildings in the distance, was drawing near.

Not one minute later, the truck came to a stop. He thanked the driver and got out. As the vehicle behind him drove off again, he looked over his new surroundings.

In hindsight, he was pretty lucky. This town wasn't too far from his final destination, and he had reached it in just a few hours.

From here he was going to have to walk the rest of the way through the desert. According to the map, there was a large oasis six to eight hours walking from here.

And at that oasis was his destination. The Crane Hermitage.

* * *

As she turned the corner to her street, Erasa felt her body turn to stone. She had been here just yesterday, and everything was fine.

She forced herself forward, and approached the building that now only vaguely resembled her house.

The front door was wide open, with clear signs of forced entry. And almost every window was broken.

' _A break in?'_ She asked herself. She got a little closer, stopping at the doorway.

The furniture was smashed to pieces. The wallpapers ripped off. The floor ruined.

Not a break in, demolition.

She didn't have to see more. She turned and ran. Sharpner's warning rang louder in her ears than ever before. She was a target now.

* * *

His throat burned. How stupid he was not to buy water. There was a freaking village right there, full of people who knew about the desert, but did he ask? No, he had to be stubborn and think he knew better. Videl was rubbing off on him.

At least he was nearly there. Or should be, if he had been going the right way. He most certainly hoped so.

Once again he scanned the horizon. _'Hold on, what is that? It looks kinda… green. And in the right direction too.'_

So he walked faster.

And he was right. It really was the place he was looking for.

It didn't take him much longer to reach the place. It was surrounded by a tall wall, high enough to be a house of its own. He went around, and soon enough he found a gate. A closed one.

"Hey!" Someone called from above. He looked up to see someone standing on the wall above the gate. Someone wearing green and yellow. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for the Crane Hermitage." He answered.

"You found it." The reply came. "What do you want?"

"I want to study here." He replied.

"Don't waste your time." The guy at the top said. "The master isn't taking more students."

"Can I at least talk to him?" Sharpner called. This was not going well.

"No." The man said. "Go back."

"No." He echoed. "I didn't come all this way to be stopped at the gate!"

The man didn't reply. Instead he jumped down, from at least three stories up. He didn't land though, but remained hovering just above the sand.

Sharpner had definitely came to the right place. It made him all the more determined.

"What do you have to prove your worth?" He asked. "And why are you on foot?"

"My car ran out of petrol, so I had to walk." He replied to the second question, but not the first.

"Couldn't you afford more gas?" The man asked.

"I'm kinda broke." Sharpner replied. Not a total lie, considering he did have some of Videl's jewellery, so it wasn't like he had nothing of value. Besides his car.

"Join the club." The man replied. "Though we only became broke after paying for our lessons." He landed on the sand. "Sorry, but you're wasting your time."

Sharpner took a good look at the guy. He was in his early twenties, and not particularly fit. His bare arms were bloated, and a little gut pushed through the fabric.

Surely he'd make a better student than this guy.

"I'd like to talk to the master anyway." Sharpner said.

"Fine." The man flew up again. "I'll take you to him."

* * *

Sharpner kneeled on a little pillow. The room was both rich and bare. The floor was smooth wood, yet many colours making a pattern. The walls brick, but again, patterned in colour.

The pillow he was sitting on was embroidered with what he assumed to be the Crane symbol. If he got in, he'd likely be wearing that symbol for a while.

Finally the door opened, and someone came walking through. A man wearing green and yellow, a weird hat shaped like a bird, and grey hair spreading out like wings.

The man observed Sharpner for a second. "At least you know proper etiquette." He replied. "Most don't even sit properly. Now then, you want to become my student?"

"Yes. Please." He nodded politely.

"My teachings are not cheap." The old man told him. "What do you have to offer me?"

"Nothing but myself." He replied.

"Yourself?" The man asked. "And do tell me, why would I want your worthless self?"

"You have a lot of money already, but what kind of students do you have?" Sharpner decided to take a gamble. The guy from before was a bit overweight. Nothing against fat people, but it's not a sign of dedication.

The old man gained a small grin. "You're not stupid, are you? Very well, I will give you a test, and if you can pass it, you will become my student."

* * *

Sharpner leaned aside, letting the beam pass by. Sure, it could kill him if it hit.

If.

Sure, the man he was fighting could fly and shoot lasers, and was most certainly able to wreck him if he got hold of him.

If.

Sharpner stepped aside slightly. His opponent came flying with his fist stretched out a-la superman style.

So our blonde held out his own fist, and made the other fly against it.

This guy might have the powers, but he was no martial artist. Just a guy who knew a few tricks. Not particularly hard to deal with, though definitely annoying. And dangerous.

Said guy was now on the ground clutching his left eye. He's gonna look like a panda tomorrow.

A slow clap reached Sharpner's ears. The Crane Master was walking towards him from across the courtyard. There was grass underneath their feet, and tall trees at the edge, shielding them from the blistering sun. Buildings on one side, and a small lake on the other.

"Impressive." The master stated. "I believe you may have talent after all." He turned around, and started walking towards the lake. "Walk with me." He commanded.

Sharpner did as he was told, and made a few quick steps to catch up with the other.

"I will take you on as a student." The elderly man said. "Not one of those pretentious pricks like the one you were fighting, but my actual student."

"I am honoured." Sharpner said evenly, though on the inside he was doing backflips.

"Good, you should be." His reply came. "There are free rooms in there." He pointed to a different building. "Have your pick, and leave your stuff there."

"Yes, sir."

"It is Master Shen to you." He bit. "Which reminds me, what is your name?"

"Sharpner."

"Another stupid name." The old man muttered to himself. "What is wrong with parents these days?"

' _Says the guy named Shen.'_ Sharpner reflected, though he was pretty sure he shouldn't say that out loud.

Said guy addressed him one more time before walking away. "My brother will take care of your first lesson, so be back here in ten minutes."

* * *

"So, you're the newest recruit?" A man approached Sharpner in the courtyard. A man with the upper half his face replaced by metal.

"Yes, I am." He answered.

"That is Master Tao to you, brat!" The man snapped. "My brother told me you might be able to get further than the nitwits we've been having so far."

"Tao?" Sharpner ignored the rest. "As in Mercenary Tao?"

"Ah, so you've heard of me." The man took a small grin of pride. "And you must have heard about the strength I possess. If you really are as promising as my brother says, then you too can raise to such heights."

That statement gave Sharpner mixed feelings. On one hand, he knew that Mercenary Tao had a legendary reputation, bordering on the superhuman. And that was before Gohan proved the claims Hercule made about the superhuman wrong.

On the other, those very same tales never painted him in a good light. They called him a mercenary, but he was more of an assassin. And Sharpner wasn't sure if studying under such a man was a good idea.

But he did promise that power, that legendary strength.

"Take your stance." Tao said, sinking into a low stance himself. "And show me your mettle."

Sharpner took his own stance.

"Lesson one, avoid death." Tao stated. Before Sharpner had time to think on those words his opponent struck.

He tried to avoid it, but Tao was simply too fast. A metal fist collided with his face. It made him flail backwards.

"Pathetic." The mercenary stated, looking down. "I got my hopes up too, but I could kill you using nothing but my tongue if I so pleased. Now get up, and do better!"

* * *

It was late evening. Erasa was wondering what to do with herself now. She looked on the internet, but it was tedious and she had no idea what she was actually looking for. Just something to help her reach Gohan.

Sure, she could go to his home in the 439 mountain area, but Gohan had made it very clear he did not want visitors, and she wasn't willing to cross that line just yet.

The heard the doorbell go off. Her first thought was Sharpner, but no, the guy had a key.

Her second thought was of Gohan. But he said he wouldn't be coming back.

It rang again.

' _But who else would…'_ She stopped in the middle, and thought of a fourth person.

' _Videl! Did she finally come back?'_ Erasa felt a bolt of joy go through her heart.

She jumped up at the thought, and nearly ran to the door.

Yet, once there, she got a strange feeling in her gut. It was a feeling she never had before, and couldn't quite place it. But she could make one thing out of it. There was something wrong.

So, rather than open the door straight away, she called out. "Who's there?"

"It's a delivery." A male voice answered. One she didn't recognise.

"This late?" She asked.

"We had a few delays, and are working overtime." The reply came.

Erasa thought for a second. _'Wouldn't a real delivery service come back tomorrow?'_ She asked herself. _'Also, we?'_

Then she remembered that this door came with a spyglass. And she peered through it.

' _Delivery, my ass!'_ She mentally commented. There were at least six guys there, armed with baseball bats and hammers. And a prybar. She remembered how she found her own home earlier.

"One second." She called back, trying to buy as much time as possible. "I… I left the keys in the other room."

"Alright, just hurry, we have more places to visit." Her reply came.

She made a point of stomping away. Luckily she hadn't unpacked everything yet. She slammed her stuff back into her backpack. Unfortunately, she was going to have to leave her suitcases behind, but those were only just clothes. She grabbed herself some spare clothes and opened the back window.

' _I'm sorry Sharpner.'_ She thought as she went out, and fled into the night.

* * *

Sharpner laid down on the bed. When he decided to make his way here, he had not expected this. Before he only had the bruise under his arm, now he had several on his back, chest, arms, legs and face to match it.

Tao was a merciless teacher. Was he even a teacher? Sharpner didn't remember being taught anything, besides the pain of being hit over and over again.

Block it, the guy said. Easy for him to say, his limbs were made of metal.

Ah well, at least he got a good meal, and though he was told to rise early, he also went to bed early, so he could expect a good night of rest. And this put him at ease a little. It meant that the two did know what they were doing. Good food and plenty of rest were just as just as important to martial arts as hard training was.

Hopefully, tomorrow he would fare better.

* * *

So much for faring better the next day. When Sharpner woke up the next morning, he knew three things. One, his face was swollen, two his arms were bruised, three, he got sunburned.

Walking the desert on foot was looking worse and worse in hindsight.

Nonetheless, with the promise of gaining power, he got up, dressed himself again, and walked out.

He looked up and down the hallway, trying to remember which way he was supposed to go.

Before he thought anymore of it, he heard footsteps. Master Shen came walking around the corner.

"Ah you're up." The old man said, looking a little disappointed for some reason. "And here I was looking forward to kicking you out of bed."

"You told me to be up at this time, so I'm up." He replied simply.

"I'm getting the growing suspicion you're no stranger to martial arts." Shen said as he walked up to him.

"No, I'm not." Sharpner admitted. Hiding that would most certainly get him into trouble.

"Do tell, what school were you from?" Shen asked the expected question.

"I used to practice Satan Style." He replied. "But I quit a while ago." He then lied.

"Why did you quit?"

"I realised I wasn't becoming stronger at all." He kept lying.

"Damn right you weren't!" Shen said with malice. That man surely hated Hercule, as Sharpner was expecting him to, which was why he lied in the first place.

"As for you, you will need some proper garments." The master continued. "And take a bath, I could smell you before I could see you."

* * *

After a nice bath, which he must admit was something he really needed, he spent some time in front of the mirror. In order to wash his hair he had untangled his braid, and now he wondered if he should put it back in.

' _Screw it, why not?'_ He asked himself, and proceeded to spent a bit of time putting the thing back in. Which actually worked on his first try, though nowhere near as neat as the one Erasa had made.

He let a hand slide over his chin. He was getting a bit of a stubble, barely visible thanks to his blonde hair. Still, he'd like to shave, but it didn't look like he was getting that chance.

Once he was done, he made his way to the courtyard again, where he found Tao waiting for him, along with a few other people. Seven men, and four women. Seemed like The Cranes weren't as gender biased as one might have expected.

Then again, Sharpner supposed when you could use energy, muscle strength didn't matter as much, so there'd be even less reason to be biased.

Some of the other students were sparring, others were hitting some kind of wooden pole, and again others were floating overhead, swirling small bits of light around themselves.

These weren't people who were ripped off with a couple of fancy tricks, these were serious students.

And now, Sharpner was one of them.

"Finally." Master Tao addressed him. "There's a pole, you know what to do." And he turned his back, deeming the blonde not worthy of more attention.

Sharpner shrugged, and took place by one of the poles. What were those things anyway? He was pretty sure he didn't see them here yesterday. They were three metres tall and partly wrapped in some kind of rope.

"Howdy." A guy also standing at the poles greeted him. "You're new, right? It's been a few weeks since anyone joined. And now I finally get to push someone around as well."

He must have been the new guy before. He was wearing the green and yellow uniform, had short brown hair, and was pretty fit, though not as large as Sharpner.

"The poles are simple." The guy said. "Hit them hard, and if you do it hard enough, the rope will become denser. Like so."

He struck the pole hard with his right fist, and it trembled in place from the impact.

"Alright." And Sharpner gave it a try. He struck out hard with a right punch.

It was like hitting a wall of solid marble. Neither the pole nor the rope budged in the slightest. A wave of pain shot through his hand.

"Nice try, jackass!" A girl called from his back.

"You might want to use some wrappings." The guy said helpfully, pointing to a nearby table with several white bandages on them.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" He asked, slightly annoyed.

"I didn't feel like it." The guy turned his back to him, and hit the pole several times in a row. The thing trembled and shook under the heavy impacts. And this guy didn't use any wrappings.

Nor did anyone else.

Hurt in his pride, Sharpner hit his pole again, though nowhere near as hard. It didn't stop it from hurting though. He could hear the others laughing behind him.

Admitting defeat, he went to wrap his hands.

With the white cloth around his hands, he went back to hitting the pole for who knows how long. There was little noise, and less talking.

Finally, after what felt like hours, and when his hands were ready to fall off, master Shen came. He didn't say anything though, he just watched, then left again.

"Is breakfast ready yet?" The brown-haired guy next to Sharpner asked out loud.

"It's ready when it's ready." Someone in the sky replied impatiently.

"Why?" One of the girls stopped her spar, and walked up to the poles. "You boys getting tired? Or maybe your iddy biddy handsies are having ouchies?" She asked in a mocking tone. Several snickers were heard behind her.

"Hey, those things are pretty hard, you know?" Sharpner returned, not willing to back down.

The girl just huffed, and pushed him aside with ease, making him fall on his back. He was about to tell her what he thought of her, when she raised her leg, and gave the pole a powerful kick.

A crack echoed over the courtyard, and the two pieces of pole with rope trailing behind them were flung through the sky. The lower one flew sideways and hit the wall. The upper part was send up slightly, and was spinning as it came down again.

The girl caught the thing by the wooden part in one hand as if it were a twig, then swung the thing around, hitting Sharpner against the side of the head with the roped part.

His vision switched to black, and all sounds were suddenly halted. He didn't even feel any pain, just a jerk of his head being flung sideways, and was vaguely aware of his body hitting the ground.

Then the pain came. Not the worst he even head, but definitely in the top ten.

His vision returned, as did his hearing. He reached up to the painful spot to check for blood.

Clean. Perhaps it wasn't as bad as it felt? It felt pretty bad though.

He saw a foot step just in front of his face, then felt a jerk on his tank top as he was picked up. The girl lifted him to face-level with one hand, still holding the pole in the other.

"You are just pathetic." She said softly, then threw him back.

Sharpner found himself airborne for a few moments, until he hit the ground. He rolled automatically for a bit in an effort to regain his footing, but met with a tree halfway there, hitting his head once again.

He needed a little time to regain his bearings. It felt like the world was spinning around him.

* * *

At around afternoon, at a place north of north city, a small village laid in a large valley between the mountains. It was a small place, everyone knew everyone, and outsiders seldom came by.

But even here the news of the Golden God had reached, mostly as rumours. Though they were dismissed at first, more and more came in, each more convincing than the one before it. Until King Furry did his live speech before the world.

But being so remote, even this news did not truly affect the villagers. To them, it was news from the outside, and had little to do with their lives, though it was heavily debated.

But that was about to change, for it was this very village that got a strange visitor. A young lady riding on a golden cloud.

She shivered. It wasn't as warm as she had hoped. But it was warmer than up in the sky. And this place was remote, so it was unlikely she'd be recognised, she hoped.

Perhaps she could lay low here and find a way to earn her bread as she sorted herself out.

She looked over the edge of her nimbus, into the small lake below. For what must have been the first time since that fateful day, she looked at her own reflection. And she was shocked at what she saw.

Her cheeks had fallen, her neat black hair became ragged and messy, and her eyes had bags underneath them.

She also saw a smudge of dirt on her forehead. _'How long has that been there?'_ She asked herself, wiping it off with her wristband. Come to think of it, she hadn't had a bath since she left the time-chamber, and taking one just became her third highest priority, just below getting something to eat, and figuring out if people here would recognise her.

She leaned forward a little more. Though they were adjusted to her size, she found Gohan's clothes to be looking weird on her own frame.

Her arms had became thinner, and yet more defined, as had her neck. Then again, the only thing she had eaten since this all began was one burger, and two senzu beans. Add the stress into it, and yeah, she figured she must have lost some weight.

Most women would be happy to lose weight, and fat in particular. Not Videl. Fatty tissue was the only thing hiding her developed muscles, and gave her a somewhat feminine look, despite all her other boyish tendencies.

She let her hair grown out for the same reason, as well as wear shorts, showing off her legs, though that one was pretty recent, after they had softened to satisfactory levels. She most definitely did not want to give up her martial arts, nor working with the police, and putting on dresses, wearing pick or doing other stereotypical girly things was just not to her liking. But being mistaken for a boy was humiliating.

She turned sideways slightly. She was grateful for having the shirt, since she no longer had to worry about embarrassing herself by accidentally flashing people, but it also hid her already small bust.

If she kept her voice lowered, she might just be able to pass off as a guy.

Yeah, before she had worried about her looks, and looking feminine. Now she couldn't care less, and even considered it a good thing. Though she could have done without the weight loss.

Looking girly? She had watched her life crumble away, saw her home be set ablaze, heard her name being demonetized, was chewed up and spat out by the city she had risked her life to protect, and finally felt her own strength fail her.

She now lived in a world that would gladly see her pay for a crime she never committed. If she was discovered, she'd get the death penalty. If she was lucky.

Who cares about looks anymore?

She was brought out of her musings when her view of herself disappeared, replaced by soft brown sand speeding by.

It was here that she stopped, and slid off her cloud. "Thanks for the ride, Nimbus." She said as it flew off again.

"I'm talking to a cloud." She reflected out loud. "I've fallen low, haven't I?"

Not willing to explain how she got a cloud, and remembering the shit she gave Gohan for it, she decided to just walk into the village on foot.

It took her a minute, but it also let her stretch her legs a little, and get her blood flowing again. Boy, did she feel stiff.

Someone passed by, an elderly man. He looked at her with suspicion. She shrugged and moved on. A woman carrying a large bag passed as well. She downright glared at the stranger.

' _Is this place really that secluded?'_ She asked herself. Sure, it looked like the modern age had skipped this part of the world. The houses were wood, made in a way she had only seen in history books. And the road was barely paved, but then again, it was mostly rock in the first place.

In fact, she half expected to clear the corner and see an old saloon.

Wouldn't that be something?

So she walked into the main street, and immediately her eye fell on something. No saloon, but there was large sign with the word 'tavern'.

Meh, close enough.

She went in. She felt hit in the face by the stench of tobacco and alcohol. It was musky inside, like the place needed a good scrubbing.

It was noisy too. People were sitting here, drinking, talking. Not just men, plenty of women here as well. The place was packed.

No one paid attention to the boy that just walked in. In fact, there were even several children running about as well. No wonder it was so noisy.

She did get a few strange looks as she walked by the people. Most of them just shrugged and went back to their business.

Videl walked up to the bar uninterrupted. In stories, bartenders were usually a good place to learn about certain things. And since she didn't have a better alternative, that's where she started.

"Well, hello stranger." A man holding a bottle of wine addressed her. "What brings you way out here?"

"I was forced to leave my old place." She admitted. "I'm looking for a place to stay while I get my life back in order."

"From Sa… Golden City, are you not?" The man asked, correcting himself quickly.

"Yeah, with all the violence and such it wasn't safe to stay." She replied. Well, it was kind of true. It could have been true. It was true, actually, it just wasn't her but Gohan who made the decision she should leave the city.

"What about your parents? It's not good for a kid to walk the world by himself."

' _Kid?'_ She asked in her mind, feeling her anger bubble up. Sure, she wasn't tall, but she wasn't a freaking kid!

"I'm not a kid." She replied calmly. "I'm just short for my age. Now, where can I find a place to stay?"

"Depends on how much money you have." The man replied. "Down the road is a hotel for tourists, though it is expensive. Although, now that all the guests have ran out of town faster than Old Man Hurlock confronted with soap, you might get a discount. I've also got a few cheap beds upstairs, if you're not picky.

If you're broke, and you look like you're broke, Old Man Hurlock sometimes lets wanderers stay at his farm, but you'll have to do a few odd jobs to make up for it. I got to warn you though, I doubt the man has even seen a proper bath in his lifetime."

Well, that went certainly well. Videl guessed some stereotypes do have a ground in reality.

"Thank you." She nodded politely.

"Don't mention it." He reached under the counter and grabbed an empty glass, which he put down in front of her, and poured her some of the bottle he happened to be holding. "Here, have one on me. You look like you need one."

"I'm not sure if that's ok." She hesitated.

"I won't tell your mommy if you won't." The man smiled, and walked off to serve someone else.

Videl emptied her glass in a single go. It was cheap wine, and not a big glass at that, so it wasn't that impressive. And she had drank alcoholics before, bank when her father was still…

… taking Gohan's credit.

She shook her head slightly. That life was over now. Videl Satan was gone. Which reminded her, she still needed a new name.

Mark? Sure, take your father's old name, that'll be a good cover.

Azura? Nah, too exotic.

What else is there?

"…Hercule…"

She looked up, her ears having caught her father's name.

"I'm telling you." A woman spoke to two women and three men at a table. "It's a shame they didn't get to execute the bastard."

"Execute?" Videl mumbled to herself. She suddenly felt worried.

"But if that's what the Golden God wants, then wouldn't that be the right way?" A second woman argued.

"Who cares what he wants, what about what we want?" The first replied. "That lying asshole made the whole world believe that our true saviours were tricksters! I want to see some punishment!"

Clearly something had happened while Videl was gone. She spied around the room. She hadn't been recognised, but asking questions now would be suspicious. After all, she was the one from the outside, and in this secluded place she should be the one with the knowledge of news from the outside. Or at least, so these people would reason.

Videl low-key scooted a little closer, to overhear better.

The third woman huffed at the first. "Didn't you declare just two weeks ago you'd gladly sleep with Hercule, and refused to call it cheating?"

"You WHAT?!" The guy next to her, presumably her husband, yelled.

"Relax, I was just a little drunk." The woman replied quickly. "But that's what I mean. He took the credit from a little kid, and abused our trust and gratitude. He and his spawn should not allowed to roam freely."

' _But what did I ever do?'_ Videl bit her lip. This just felt so unfair. At the same time, for the first time since this whole thing started, she also felt worried for her father. She had been out of contact for over nearly two weeks now.

But up until now, the thought of him being in even more trouble than herself hadn't even crossed her mind. Sure, what he had done was horrible, but execution? He wasn't a monster. Sure, he was arrogant and greedy, and loud, but he was also the guy that raised her by himself. The one who would sit by the side of her bed when she had a nightmare until she fell asleep.

The man who legitimately won the World Martial Arts Championship. Who stepped forwards when Cell threatened the world. Though, in hindsight, he may only have done that because he was pushed by people who knew him.

She wasn't sure. She supposed she was going to have to ask him if she saw him again. **When** she saw him again.

The people at the table continued talk about whether or not her father deserved to die, but Videl wasn't listening anymore. She decided she had heard enough, and walked out of place. And promptly remembered she didn't know where this unclean Old-Man-Whatever lived.

So she walked right back in, and asked the first person she came across.

* * *

It was past afternoon. Sharpner was busy carrying large stones through a river. It was waist deep, and had a fairly strong current. Luckily the bottom was thick blubber. He sunk into it up to his ankles, and made pulling his feet free a real chore, but at least he wasn't swept away.

After all, the rocks were not allowed to get wet.

There was a bridge nearby, but he wasn't allowed to use it.

He actually finished his task an hour ago, but when he told master Shen so, what did the man say? "Put them all back again the same way."

It was humiliating. And worst of all, the side of his head was throbbing, and he had gained an annoying headache.

Well, it couldn't be from thirst, despite the hot sun and intense heat, his already sunburned skin not helping matters. The river was clean enough to drink from. Shen even specifically mentioned this.

And the constant stream of cool water went a long way against the heat as well.

If only it wasn't so bright. His headache made it painful to look, and hard to think clearly.

* * *

She swept the sweat off of her forehead with the back of her hand, and let out a sigh. That pile of firewood was getting pretty big.

Sure, Old Man Hurlock told her to chop as much as she could before dinner, but she was burning quickly through all of the logs.

She found herself on the large courtyard of a farm, with horse-stables to her side, a garage next to it and the actual house behind them. On her other side were a lot trees. Tall ones. Probably the source of the wood she was chopping.

Speaking of which, she put up the last piece of wood on the chopping block, and with a single swing she clove the thing in half. It was a big piece, so she split both halves yet again.

"There." She said to herself, and set the axe in the chopping block. She looked at her handiwork. It was a pretty big pile of firewood now, and seeing it, knowing it was a big pile of logs just before, made her feel satisfied in herself.

"Yeah, that's right, I did that." She said proudly. And promptly looked around, spying to see if there had been anyone near to overhear her talking to herself. Luckily, there wasn't.

She let out a large sigh, partly of relief, and partly out of sheer satisfaction. What time was it anyway? It couldn't be dinner already, there was no way she had spend four hours on this.

To be fair, she did notice it going rather easy, far more than she had expected. But then again, she did have training with Gohan, and up on Korin Tower afterwards. She knew she had grown much stronger, but did not yet know how much.

Perhaps sometime later she could to a little test to see. For now, laying low was her top priority.

It was time to look up the owner of this place, and let him know she had finished up.

So she walked to the main house, where, to her luck, the elderly man was sitting on his front porch, reading his newspaper.

Old Man Hurlock, or Farmer Hurlock, as he preferred to call himself, was at the least in his early eighties, yet still walked as upright as young man, though aided with a cane. He was tall, almost as much as Videls father. When the barkeeper warned her the old man did not bathe, he wasn't kidding. It was a nauseating smell, even worse than the pile of straw and horse-dung, carrying far into the wind and taking hours to get out of your nose. He was also masculine, he had taught her how to split the wood correctly by demonstrating it himself. And he had this weird accent of his.

"Ey, lad." He address Videl, or Azura, as she introduced herself, for the lack of a better name. "What'ya doin 'ere?"

"I'm done with the chopping." She replied, making sure to be upwind.

"Then ya pick a new pile, an do tha one." He ordered.

"I'm done with all of the piles." She declared.

"All of'em?" He looked taken aback. "It aint been an hour yet, ya can't be done alrea'e."

"Come look for yourself if you don't believe me." She replied casually.

"Oh, ya better be done now, lad, I aint in a joking mood." He declared, but stood up anyway, and with large steps walked himself to the back of the horse stables.

"Well, I'll be darned." He said once he couldn't find a pile of unchopped wood. "Ya keep that up, lad, and I'll have to start payin ya." He scratched his chin, which made a raspy sound, since he clearly hadn't shaven in a while either. "Damn, ya got me at a loss 'ere, lad. I aint countin on ya doin it that fast. I could sent ya to da stables but nah, let da shit-heads shovel da shit, they aint good for much else." He chuckled to himself.

Said shit-heads were two guys, friends, who had been staying at the place for three weeks already. Videl caught something about them being on a touring trip and ending up broke, landing here.

There was also the man's grandson, who was out on the land. But then, he was an actual farmer, not a straggler like the three of them.

"Ya know what?" The old man addressed her. "Why don't ya go fishin? I got a rod an some old bread ya can use. We don't like to eat old bread, but the fish, they lovin it." He turned and walked back to the house, Videl making sure to stay on his upwind side. "There's a lake a small walk away." He pointed at the distant hills.

"Well, I've never done that before." Videl admitted.

"Fishin is easy, ya throw some bait out and wait or em to snatch it." He brushed it aside. He went in the house and opened the closet just around the corner. Videl could see several fishing rods, some long and new, but the one he passed her was basically a stick with a line tied to the end.

"Ere ya go." He said, passing her a bag of old bread as well. "Just go over the hill, and ya see a big rock at the edge. That's where's good fishin. An don't worry about catching anything, ya earned ya dinner already."

* * *

Shen walked towards his newest pupil. He didn't see anyone in the river, but also no rocks on the other side. He did see someone sitting on one of the rocks.

Sharpner had seen him coming, but he didn't pretend he wasn't catching his breath. Come on, those things were heavy. He believed he had earned himself a breather.

Shen disagreed. "Get up!" He snarled. "What are you doing, lazing around?!"

"Just catching my breath." The blonde replied.

"I said, get up!" Shen commanded again. "This isn't that garbage Satan Style, and you will not be skip out on your training here! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, master." Sharpner willed himself back on his feet.

"Good!" Shen turned around. "Follow!" He commanded. "You may have come to become stronger, but you clearly have no idea what you're asking for." The master started.

Sharpner disagreed, but knew better than to speak up.

"But I will show you." Shen continued.

He brought Sharpner to a part of the complex he hadn't been before. Of course, he only arrived yesterday, but still.

There were some of the other students here, as well as master Tao. One of those was the girl that hit him in the head.

"Shen." Tao greeted his brother.

"Tao." Shen said back stiffly. Those two definitely had a strained relationship. "Our newest student doesn't have an idea of what it is we do here. Why don't we give a little demonstration?"

"Ah, sure." Tao nodded. And he looked back at two of the students. "You two, show the greenhorn what we're all about!"

The two grinned and took for the sky, ready to show off their powers.

"Hey greeny." The pole-swinger addressed Sharpner. "How's your head?" She asked mockingly.

"Just fine." He replied casually. "How's your ego?"

This didn't go down well, judging by the twitch and the glare, but he didn't care, as his attention was on what he saw in the sky. Or rather, what he didn't see in the sky.

One of the students fired a beam, a dull yellow light. It missed, and flew out of view. The other fired some kind of wave, also dull yellow, also missing.

They were clearly showing off, and all things considered, it looked rather nice.

"This is the power we promise you." Shen said proudly. "A power that even surpasses the Golden God."

Stronger than Gohan? Sharpner highly doubted that. One of the students seemed to take it up a notch, as blue wisps of light surrounded the body, at least a few metres across.

Gohan's had been as large as a city. He shook the earth with his presence. He didn't even show off, but simply did a job.

Stronger that the Golden God? These people were less than a candle to Gohan's supernova.

These people weren't strong. They only pretended they were. No, not even that, they merely thought they were strong. They knew a few fancy tricks, and had an above average strength. With that they lulled themselves into an illusion of strength. Just like those fools who weren't serious students did.

Just like Sharpner himself once did.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Shen asked him.

Sharpner nodded silently, but on the inside he disagreed. It certainly looked impressive, that he did agree on, but it just…

…felt empty.

* * *

About three hours later, Videl leaned back, letting the sun warm her. While chopping wood she had worked herself warm, but also worked up quite a sweat, and after she sat down to fish, she actually found herself becoming a little chilly. But now the rays of the sun were making up for it.

Fishing from the shore wasn't working out, so she decided to call her nimbus, and had it hover her just above the water in the middle of the lake.

She caught at least five fish already. Not much for three hours, but most of them kept getting away, or nibble the bread off the hook rather than biting.

But it sure was relaxing. And gave her time to think. _'As if I hadn't done enough of that on the way here already.'_ She thought to herself.

But unlike on her way here, where their thoughts were mostly her worrying about food and a place to stay, now she was thinking mostly about her father, and Gohan.

Of course it was mostly Gohan. The guy had literally changed her life with a single action. And he didn't even mean to, that's how powerful he was. That is how large the difference was.

She sighed softly. It was no use thinking that. And yet, it kept coming back.

She felt a tug on her hand. Her rod was pulling down. Finally, she caught something.

Rather than try to pull it up, which would be hard anyway since the line was tied to the end of the rod, she had her Nimbus lift her up, only reeling in the fish once it was above the water. It was so easy that way.

' _Fish number six.'_ She reflected to herself, as she added the fish to the bucket.

"Oy, lad!" Someone called. A familiar voice, in a strange accent.

She snapped over to the side, where she saw an elderly man standing at the shore.

And she was still on her Nimbus Cloud. _'Busted.'_

No point in hiding it anymore, so she simply flew over to the shore.

"That's a Nimbus Cloud, innit?" He asked her.

"Yeah, it is." She replied, surprised. "How do you even know that?"

"Me uncle used to have one, lon time ago." He answered. "I tried ridin it, but I fell straight through, as did everyone else. Ya need a pure heart for those."

"Yeah, I suppose you do." She replied.

"An ya ridin one?" He then asked. "Ya lad be pure of heart?"

"Yeah, I am." She replied, a small smirk taking her mouth. "I am pure as it can be." She added, not being able to keep a smug tone out of her voice.

One moment she was sitting on a soft cloud looking at the elderly farmer, the next she found herself engulfed in something cold, sitting on something much less softly, and had a painful behind.

The water wasn't that deep, so she could just stand up, letting it reach up to her bellybutton. First thing she heard was the howling laughter of the old man, resembling the bleating of a donkey more than anything else, and no doubt at her expense.

Luckily for her, she didn't have to endure this humiliation for very long, as the old man ran out of breath and started coughing instead. So much, Videl started to worry for a second, but then that slowed down as well.

"I got to hand it to ya." He said to her, still grinning. "I heard of 'pride comes before da fall', but now it's more like pride causin da fall."

"Yeah, yeah, it's very funny." The irony was not lost on her. Worst of it all, there was nothing she could blame it on, only the cloud, and she'd never get away with that one.

"Hey, what?" The man sounded surprised. "Ya'sa be guised lass?"

' _What?'_ She asked in her mind, having only understood the word lass, which was probably…

She looked down. Yep, her wet clothes were clinging to her body, making the two little bumps on her chest pretty obvious.

"You don't say." She replied in a far drier tone than a soaked person should be able to deliver.

"What ya doin pretendin to be a lad?" He asked her.

"I thought it'd be safer." She admitted. Well, it wasn't really a choice, but that was the main reason she didn't try to change it, so it was kinda true. "The roads are a lot more dangerous lately, you know?"

"Ah yes." He suddenly had a sad look. "Very dangerous times. From Golden City, aint ya? An ya fled da violence, aint ya?"

"Is it that obvious?" She asked, surprised he was able to figure that out.

"Why else would a disguised lass flee so far?" He returned. While they had been talking, her Nimbus Cloud had slowly been floating down, her rod and her bucket still on it.

The old man took the bucket. "Ah, ya caught some." He noted. "Ya lass has done more than da shit-heads had done all week."

"Eh…" She shifted her eyes a little. "Please don't tell the others about this." She then asked meekly.

"Ah, don't sweat it, lad." He said as he turned and walked off. "Farmer Hurlock aint a snitch. Now, ya stay here an dry up, I'll save ya a plate."

"Thank you." She made a small bow, even though he couldn't see.

"Don't sweat it." He repeated.

Feeling a little more at ease now, Videl walked to the shore. Yeah, she was going to have to wait to dry up. She didn't really mind eating a little later. It wasn't like she was hungry anyway. Probably because of that second Senzu Bean.

She figured laying in the sun on her Nimbus would help her. But there was one little problem. When she tried to lift herself up, her hand went through again. Just like it had before, with Gohan's.

"Your traitor." She mumbled half-heartedly. No, she couldn't really be angry at the cloud. The old man was right, pride had caused her to fall, because she had allowed herself to become impure again.

So she did the sensible thing. She sat down in the sun, back against the rocks, and calmed her mind, while letting the sun dry her a little.

It was cold, the water not having helped in the slightest, but she didn't let it get to her.

She took a few deep breaths. She was still new to this whole meditating thing, so it took her awhile, but she had all the time in the world.

But not the patience. After a few tries she gave up, and leaned back. Once again her thoughts went back to Gohan. She wondered what he was doing right now.

* * *

In an office just outside of Golden City a young man was sitting with his feet on his desk, leaning so far back he nearly toppled his chair backwards.

He was in a good mood. Most people had lost a lot these days, but he actually made it big. He saw his opportunity, and made himself a fortune. The best part? It was completely legal. In just a few days he had gone from lower management to millionaire.

Yeah, he was expecting his life from here on to be quite pleasurable.

Then his secretary came walking in his office. "Sir, there's some people here who want to see you." The woman told him.

"Do they have an appointment?" He asked arrogantly.

"No sir." She replied.

"Then I won't see them." He replied, stretching out and leaning back. "I'm a busy man. Schedule them for sometime next week or something."

"But sir." She protested.

"No buts, now get out!" He commanded.

And the secretary slunk out again.

Showing up without an appointment. Who did they think he was? He was no longer some yes-man. He possessed over a hundred million now, and he deserved to be treated with respect.

The door was thrown open again. "You can't go in there!" He heard his secretary call.

"Watch me!" A different voice answered. It was a woman, with dark eyes, and black hair. She had a good figure, and her clothes did nothing to hide that fact.

A little old for his taste, but perhaps he could make an exception.

"Busy my ass!" She snapped at the man.

"My apologies." He said insincerely. "I believed you were someone else." He sat up properly, and gestured to the chairs in front of him. "What can I do for you?"

"You could start by returning the money you stole!" She started, clearly pissed about something. Ah, once brought down, those made the best ones. He decided he was going to have her after all. "And then you could tell me the names of your accomplices! And maybe I'll let you off easy!"

"Temper, temper." He said in a soothing voice. "I have never stolen anything. Why don't we just sit down and talk it out one on one, shall we?"

"That's going to be a bit of a problem." A male voice replied. There was a guy here too. Her husband? Nah, he looked too young. Probably her employee or something.

"Why would it be?" He asked politely.

"Stop playing games, we're not here to do business." The woman answered him.

"I don't see why we wouldn't be able to mix business with pleasure." He said, looking at the woman, who looked offended.

"Now you listen here!" The woman started, but the guy stopped her.

"Mom, don't let him play you." He said to her in a tired tone, pulling her back. And he reached into his pocket.

' _Mom?'_ The millionaire thought. Oh, this was going to be good. Not only was he going to nail her, he was going to gloat to the son about it.

Speaking of the son, he had thrown down a paper. Bank account details, and from a fat account from the looks of those numbers.

Wait, he recognised some of the numbers. His eyes flashed up to see the account in question.

It was his own personal account.

"How did you get this?!" He demanded.

"Some people at the bank were kind enough to give it to me." The son replied evenly. "I know for a fact you have stolen millions, and now you're going to give it back."

"I didn't steal anything." He protested. "It was all legal. But you getting your hands on this is most definitely not. Maybe I should inform the police. Or perhaps I could be persuaded not to." He said, with a sly grin at the woman.

The son stood up, and with a single move he threw the heavy desk aside. He wanted to protest, but he was grabbed by the front of his shirt, and lifted up. He hit the arm, and tried to kick, but all met the same result. It felt like this guy was made of stone.

He looked into the dark eyes. They were brimming with anger and power. And that face, it looked familiar.

"One hundred twenty three million, nine hundred forty seven thousand, one hundred seventy two zeni." The guy summed up. "That is what you have seized in my name. And now I am here to collect."

"Your name?" He repeated. He felt fear squeeze his heart. But that was impossible. It was supposed to be untraceable. It was supposed to be legal, and no one would be able to reverse it.

That is what he was told. And at the time, he believed it. He had looked over the documents, and seen it was all in perfect order. No lawyer would be able to make a case against it.

Not even the Golden God himself. Or so he was told.

But he never expected Son Gohan to just show up on his doorstep.

"It was seized in your name, but not for your person." He told the other the excuse they had been spinning up. The one little loophole that allowed them to pocket the money.

"It was never yours to take." Gohan replied in a cold anger. He let go, making the guy fall flat on his arse. "You will return everything, down to the last zeni, and you will give me the names of everyone involved!"

"The law is at my side." He replied confidently. True, his case was a perfect one. "There is nothing you can do against me. Now leave, or will I have to make a lawsuit of threat to my person against you?"

"And what makes you think that anyone would risk crossing my son?" The woman joined in, sounding pretty angry.

"He is not a god." He declared proudly.

"For all the good it will do you, he might as well be." She returned. Interestingly, she didn't refute the argument. Yet this didn't settle well with him.

"I am protected by the law." He argued.

"Certainly." Gohan agreed. "Just like a pedestrian is protected by the law from the cars on the road. But tell me, what good will the protection of the law do you when you find yourself underneath a ten ton truck?"

He swallowed. Hard. It took all of his will power not to dirty his undergarments then and there.

The boy reached into his pocket again, and threw down a sheet of paper to the floor. "Transfer the money to this account, and send the names of the others with it. You have until midnight."

He turned around to walk away, meaning they were done here.

"I can't do that." He tried. "I've invested a part of it, I don't have it anymore."

"Then make do." The powerful boy replied.

"But I'll be ruined. Bankrupt." He pleaded.

"I don't see how that is our problem." The mother answered coldly. And continued to her son as they walked out. "Just one more. Let's get this over with."

* * *

As soon as her clothes were no longer clinging to her skin, Videl made her way back to the farm. She wasn't dry yet, but her figure was no longer showing, so it'll have to do.

Just past the door she was approached by a man she didn't recognise. Must be the grandson. And indeed, he introduced himself as such, and identified her as Azura, the one who did a day's worth of chopping within the hour.

They were still at the table, and she could join in immediately. Boiled potatoes, boiled beans and a small piece of boiled beef.

She had to hide her disappointment. But then, she was well aware that the average person did not eat as well as she had the last seven years.

So she sat down and crammed it down. And despite being in serious need of seasoning, it wasn't that bad. And she actually managed to clean her plate. Perhaps that Senzu Bean was starting to wear off.

"Worked up an appetite, didn't you?" The grandson commented once she was done.

"Ere." The grandpa threw her something. A small roll of cash. "Go an get yaself somethin nice. I don't think I saw any luggage on ya when ya got ere."

"What?" One of the other two freeloaders looked offended. "He's getting money? We've been here for way longer."

"Cause you shitheads aint doing anythin worth payin!" The man shot back.

Videl decided to just pocket the money. She made a mental note to get a radio, as well as another set of clothes. Oh, and some underwear, since she was still going commando.

A toothbrush? And some other toiletry supplies. According to her schedule, she was due…

… about five days ago. Fear gripped her heart for a second, but she dismissed it. There was no way she was pregnant, that had a condition she had yet to fulfil. Though she did get close back in that warehouse. And she wasn't exactly awake as Gohan carried her away.

But no, she did not believe him to do something like that to her. No, she was probably just late, with the stress and all.

Actually, she found herself being glad for it. After all, she didn't exactly have the means to deal with that properly, nor was she able to hide it. And boys don't bleed. Well, it wasn't normal for them, so explaining would be very hard.

Thus, toiletry and underwear rose to the very top of her list. But how to get them? She was supposed to be a guy now, it would be really weird to buy women's underwear, not to mention other things.

What to do?

* * *

Vegeta grabbed himself a towel on his way to the kitchen. He hadn't had a workout like that in a long time. Then again, he hadn't had a sparring partner in his own league for years either. Even if that partner was more than just a bit rusty.

He scowled at the back of the teenager. That kid had actually grown weaker than he was seven years ago. Not to mention his fighting style was completely wrong. It was fine when he was a kid, but now he was taller, had longer limbs, but he had not adjusted the way he moved.

But that's what training is for.

He was in the middle of his evening session when Gohan suddenly dropped in. To his credit, 150 G had hardly affected the guy, even untransformed, while Trunks had trouble with it.

He smirked proudly to himself. Though his son couldn't ascend to the second level he was still pretty sure the kid could give Gohan a few rounds for his money.

"So, you two finally done?" Bulma was waiting for the two of them. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Sorry Bulma, we got a little distracted." Gohan grinned an apology. What was he apologising for? What did he expect when he walked into the GR and practically demanded a spar?

"I noticed." Bulma commented in her own sarcastic, sexy, way. "So what's up with you? It's not like you to just start training again."

"Well." Gohan hesitated. "Something King Furry said to me had me rethinking a few things. I neglected my training because there was no longer a threat. After all, I only ever trained in preparation for upcoming menaces. But I have been thinking. I am one of the protectors of this world, whether I like it or not. And now I got the whole world looking up to me. Maybe I should be taking my training more seriously."

Bulma looked over at Vegeta. Neither of them had really expected this.

"So, err..." The kid grinned awkwardly. "Do you happen to have a gravity chamber I can borrow?"

"Well, I still got Vegeta's old gravity pod. It doesn't go as high as the inbuilt one though."

"It'd be a great help."

* * *

Videl bundled herself in her blanket. Ah, so comfy. And hiding her topless body, just in case someone walked in on her.

It was dark outside already. She had just taken one of the best baths she ever had, though she did have to keep it short out of fear of being discovered. But so nice nonetheless. She also scrubbed her red and purple gi, which was hanging to dry just across the room.

It was a small room, and a bare one, but as a freeloader she didn't expect much.

After dinner she had gone to the village and sought out a few stores, and did the one of the things she hated the most. Shopping.

It was necessary. She didn't have enough money for everything, so she had to prioritise. Women's supplies, along with two panties were on top. Everything else she could ultimately do without, but that was something she really needed. Or was going to need.

Luckily, no-one had batted an eye at her buying products and panties. That's where she realised that guys buying stuff for their wives/girlfriends wasn't all that strange.

Next was a small radio to listen to the news with, so she could get up to date with what had been going on while she was gone. She got the cheapest one, and it was a portable on batteries. Very useful.

Next was a brassiere, but that's also where her money ran out.

Perhaps tomorrow, she told herself. For now, it was sleeping time. She was actually pretty tired.

She wasn't all that worried about being walked in on. Unless she was planning to sleep till noon, no one was going to bother her. She checked. Still, she was waiting for her shirt to dry so she could use it as a pj. No way she was going to sleep in a strange place in just panties. Even with a shirt was pushing it, but she just didn't have anything else.

She tried to pass the time by listening to her new radio.

Some news was broadcasted, about Gohan's talk with the king. Apparently that had happened. She was starting to realise she had a lot of catching up to do.

The program didn't tell her anything though. And now it had ended, moving over to music instead.

She wasn't really listening, instead reflecting on what to do. What she could do. She was here now, but how was she going to leave? Her Nimbus no longer carried her.

The song switched to a new one.

Well, she could walk out. She was pretty sure her new strength would last her a lot longer. But then what? Was she to spend the rest of her life on the run, pretending to be guy, hiding in fear and always being afraid of being discovered?

But what did she have to go back too? Her home was burned down. Her friends had abandoned her. Was she going to have to spend the rest of her life fighting against the world?

' _I kept everything inside, and even though I tried, it all fell apart.'_

Her life was gone. Videl Satan had died in that warehouse. Azura was going to have move on, and forget about it.

' _What it meant to me, will eventually be, a memory, of a time_

 _ **I tried so hard, and got so far.**_

 _ **But in the end, it doesn't even matter.**_

 _ **I had to fall, to lose it all.**_

 _ **But in the end, it doesn't ev**_ _…'_

The song came to a sudden end as the radio smashed against the wall and shattered into countless pieces.

She grit her teeth, tears streaming down her cheeks. That had hit closer to home than she could endure.

She sat back down, wrapped her blanket around her, and wept silently.

* * *

Shen stomped through the halls. It was time already, but his newest student turned out to be tardier that he thought.

He kicked open the door, and wanted to start yelling, but there was no one to yell at.

Yet this was clearly the right room, the bed even looked like it had been used, and not even that long ago too.

The new guy wasn't tardy, no, he was a spineless coward, and had run away.

* * *

"Wow." Yamcha poked at the body. "What even is that?"

"I don't know." Tien admitted. "It kind of looks like how they described Frieza's third form, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does." The former bandit agreed. "Think it was one of his kind?"

"Well, Humans and Saiyans look alike, but we don't consider them to be the same species." Tien gave his opinion. "No, I think this guy was something else. But how did he get here? And why did he attack me?"

"Didn't he say anything? Besides the whole 'I'm here to kill you' speech?"

"No, nothing." Tien replied. "Though he didn't exactly have time to talk either. He wasn't as powerful as I thought he would be. But look." He pointed to the forehead. "I could have sworn there was some kind of figure here, shaped like an M."

* * *

 **End of** **Chapter**

* * *

And that's it for Ch12.

I'm a little sorry for taking so long, I just seem to have misplaced most of my free time.

Thank you for reading, and please, tell me what you thought. I'm still trying to improve as a writer.

Special thanks to MrChuckMan.


	13. Chapter 13, Identities

A/N:

"Let's have a look at how my story Golden God is doing."

(Sees that the follower count is past the 700)

"Wow, I've got a lot of people to disappoint."

Ok, jokes aside, I've started to notice a difference between the earlier chapters and the later ones. The earlier ones are more doom and gloom, with lots of focus on the bad. The bad hasn't gone away in the latter chapters, like crimes are still sky high, public services are still breaking down, but I just don't focus as much on it. Mostly because I already did that. I'm pretty sure no one's waiting for a chapter that's basically a repeat of the earlier ones.

And even if so, I'm not exactly motivated to repeat myself in the first place.

So yeah, the later chapters seem to be more light-hearted than the earlier ones.

'Seem to be' being the operative words. (Cue the ominous music.)

 **To Everyone who noted my use of Linkin Park:** Ok, maybe there could have been better choices. I mostly picked it because I knew most people would recognise it, and it fit the scene.

 **To lancecomwar:** Well, the trip through the desert wasn't that long…

Ok, I admit, I overlooked that part.

 **To Tellemicus Sundance (About Videl possibly being pregnant last chapter):** Maybe I overlooked something? I didn't mean to actually imply that.

In any case, to clear up some possible misunderstandings, no, Videl is not pregnant.

 **To that one salty reviewer who politely informed me that I am homosexual and a fan of Super (you know who you are):**

Thanks for the laughs man. Like seriously, he can't even put a coherent sentence together and still accused me of being a bad writer, just on one little joke (that I admit I actually didn't intent to leave in and just forgot to take out).

And best of all, I am apparently a Super Fanboy. Oh, I laughed hard at this part.

 **To people who noted Buu's arrival being a bit too early for the story:** Actually, you're right. I did push that a little too soon. Or rather, everything else got delayed, but I didn't delay the Buu stuff.

Unfortunately, I realised that after I had already uploaded those parts, so I guess I'm just gonna have to buckle down and commit to it.

 **One last little note:** I've read through the previous chapters, which have been updated by the way, but nothing fancy or any plot changes, mostly just making things a bit clearer or adding a bit more of a description.

Still, I want to improve my writing skills, so if anyone has any notes or suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

 **Identities**

* * *

It was on early Monday evening. Sharpner had once again spent the better part of the day hitchhiking. He counted himself really lucky the Crane Hermitage was only a few hours away from Golden City, or he'd have that much more trouble. Especially since he decided that the place wasn't really for him.

Shen had promised him power, but just like Hercule, he could not deliver. And considering the likes of Mercenary Tao was also a member of the school, he hated to think about what the two would have him do for them.

So he walked down the road. His destination was still a few blocks away, but it was doable. Especially since one of the people who gave him a lift were kind enough to give him some painkillers for his headache, making it somewhat bearable.

He thought of Erasa for a second. He wasn't worried for her, he knew she could take care of herself. But he figured she'd probably move to her own home now. So that's where he was headed first.

* * *

Erasa's place had been a disaster. The second he saw it, he took off for his own house. If she was alright, she would probably go back there.

A few minutes of a dead sprint found him turning the corner to his street. The feelings of worry and hope pushing him to ignore his fatigue. Worry that his friend was in danger. Hope that she was just waiting for him to come home.

Heaving out a few breaths, he looked up to his house. His blood ran cold at the sight. Windows smashed, doors forced from their hinges. Everything was ruined, and his blonde counterpart was nowhere to be seen.

' _Dammit, I told you something bad would happen!'_ He thought in anger, and worry. He had to find her, and fast!

As he tore through the house, he stumbled over broken glass and tossed furniture. Maybe she arrived after the attack occurred. Either way, his room would have the only clues.

Approaching his door, he felt particularly disturbed at the blatant intrusion into his personal effects. But now was no time for those feelings. He stepped into the room and inspected the damage.

What was once his clothes were now ribbons on the floor. It was as if someone had gone at them with a machete.

His walls were covered with hateful words and insults.

 _Traitor!_

 _Hypocrite!_

 _Bully!_

 _Devil!_

 _Heretic!_

 _Satan-boy!_

At least most of her personal belongings were gone. Valuables like Videl's ring, and bank account details could have been taken by anyone; however her diary, and other things that would be of no value of anyone other than Erasa or Videl. It meant she had left before whoever did this arrived. Probably. Hopefully.

That thought made him relax, if only slightly.

But where would she go? Where would he go?

Well, he'd go to a hotel on the other side of the city. Except, no, Erasa wouldn't have a car.

Would she be nearby and waiting for him? She doesn't know he'd return. He didn't know he'd return.

' _Shit, why did I have to be so stubborn?'_

* * *

"Ere." Old Man Hurlock threw her a new bundle of cash. It was never all that much, but it was enough to keep her comfortable. From yesterday's earnings she had bought a new radio, as well as some other little things.

"Hey." One of the other two freeloaders complained, seeing Videl get paid yet again. "Why is he the only one getting paid?"

"Cause he does somethin' worth payin." Hurlock replied.

"Eh, grampa, he didn't do all that much either."

"Tis my farm, I do wha I want."

"Technically it's my farm."

"Tis ya farm when I'm dead. Do I look dead to ya?"

Videl just decided to leave those guys to their argument, and left to go into town, to see if she could get some spare clothes now. Yesterday she wanted to go get a spare shirt and jeans, but she never really realised how expensive clothes actually are.

She did have to get a new radio, since she really regretted breaking her old one. Luckily, the clerk at the store either fell for her bullshit story of it falling off her nightstand or he just took pity on her, because she got a hefty discount on her second radio.

Her pay wasn't all that much, pocket money at the most, but hopefully with the money from yesterday she might be able to afford them.

She did have a bit of a suspicion that Hurlock was being nicer to her because he knew she wasn't a guy, but she wasn't about to complain. After all, she did do more and better work than the other two.

Perhaps she should go to the next village? Well, she probably should, but she can't. For some reason or the other, her Nimbus no longer carried her. And that wasn't just annoying, because now she didn't have a way out.

* * *

Near midnight. Sharpner made his way to the desk, and once again asked if anyone had seen Erasa. Of course not.

Then he asked if they would like to buy a neat pair of earrings. Of course not. There must be plenty of people selling things to get by, or to get rid of stolen goods.

No money, no fuel. He was forced to keep walking.

But the next place was nearby. A small hotel. After all, Erasa was on foot as well, and she didn't have the stamina of her two friends. There was only so far she could go.

This was the last place she could be that he could think of.

He went in with full confidence. But nope, no Erasa. Where else could she be?

Other classmates were not an option, they were either mere acquaintances or had moved away. She wouldn't just break in an empty house, would she?

No, he didn't think so. But where else could she have gone. A girl with blue eyes and short blonde hair shouldn't be that hard to find. So if she wanted to stay hidden, she would…

…dye her hair. He slapped himself on the forehead, sending a small wave of pain through his brain.

Well, that was stupid in more ways than one.

So there was nothing left to do but to start his search over.

* * *

Sharpner staggered back towards the nice hotel he had visited the first. He was pretty sure Erasa was likely to be here. It was good, cheap, fairly secluded and nearby.

Of course, he had to make the way there on foot, with the dark and quiet doing nothing to relieve his unease. He never knew this city could be so quiet.

At one point he found someone walking in the same direction in front of him. A woman, which he learned when she looked around. And promptly started walking faster.

That was more painful than he cared to admit. Understandable, sure, but it still hurt to be suspected like that.

' _And I left Erasa here by herself.'_ He reflected, slightly biting his lip, and feeling his guilt pile up even more. Oh, if something happened to her, he'd never forgive himself.

So he arrived at the hotel, hoping, praying almost, he'd find her now.

He walked up to the desk, and once again asked if Erasa was here, this time leaving her hair colour out of his description, and admitted she'd probably dyed it when asked.

This time the staff was a lot more helpful for some reason. And then they asked if his name was Sharpner, which really took him aback.

Turns out Erasa had been staying here since the night before. And she basically gave his description, his name, and told them he was a friend who might come looking for her. Or rather, she had hoped he'd come.

The staff, having better things to do than check every guest if they matched the description, only realised who he was after he had already left.

So, after identifying himself to prove he really was the right person, and paying to upgrade her single person room to a two person one, which for some stupid reason did not include anything more than being more expensive.

He knocked on the door. No reply. He wasn't given a key, so it wasn't like he could go in by himself. He knocked louder, hoping she was still awake.

"Whosisit?" A slurry voice asked. Erasa's voice.

"It's me, Sharpner." He replied.

"No, is not." She answered slowly. To be fair, it was the middle of the night.

"Just open the door!" He basically commanded.

And she did. She also swung something at him, which he only barely dodged. Her hair was dark brown now, and she had put on a an open jacket over her tube top, but otherwise she was perfectly recognisable.

"Wow, easy there!" He called. He looked at her hand. A wine bottle, half full. And he smelled alcohol from inside the room. Erasa had been drinking.

She looked at him for a second, and dumbfounded look on her face. Then she dropped the bottle, which he caught as a reflex, and threw her arms around him.

"You came back!" She called. "I love you!" Yep, definitely drunk.

"Sure, sure." He couldn't help but chuckle. Oh, he was going to hold that one over her head for a long time.

He pushed her back inside, and closed the door with his foot.

The girl seemed quite content with hugging him, and made no attempt to let go. She also started snivelling. "Oh, great." He sighed, and resigned himself to having to take care of a drunk Erasa now.

"I was so scared." She said into his chest, and promptly started crying. "I was so scared you wouldn't come back."

"Ok, ok." He said awkwardly. "It's ok. I'm here now. Just… cry it all out." He sat down on the bed, Erasa in his lap, and let her do just that.

He took a small peek across the room. There was another bottle on the floor, and this one was completely empty. Come to think of it, he still had the one he caught.

He drank from it. It tasted cheap and bitter. But it was going to help against his pain, or sp he hoped. He had quite a bit of bruises, and the one on his head had swollen. Erasa hugging him didn't help at all either. Not to mention his headache.

So he drank a little, and then a bit more, and then the bottle was empty. Luckily, Erasa had stopped sobbing as well.

"There, feeling better?" He asked. No reply. He looked down. She had her eyes closed, and was leaning on him now. "Did you just cry yourself to sleep?" He asked softly, mostly to himself.

Clearly she did.

"Whatever." He sighed. He took off his boots, and his jacket, relieved Erasa of hers, and laid down. It was one single person bed, so it was either share or sleep on the floor.

How would Erasa react if she woke to him sleeping here? Becoming angry would be hypocritical, since she did the same thing to him.

He closed his eyes, gently stroking the girl across her back. Once again he was in one bed with the one girl he never wanted to share a bed with. He had always seen her as a friend rather than a woman. And he did that on purpose. He didn't want to see her that way. And yet, here they were again.

And these last few days he had been looking at her with different eyes, forced to see her in the light he never wanted to see her in. A certain image came floating up his mind. The one where Erasa had accidentally shown her topless self to him.

Fate has a cruel sense of humour.

* * *

It was a quiet morning at Kame House. Master Roshi was reading his a magazine outside. A normal one this time. Marron was building yet another sand castle. Or at least, she claimed she was. It was just a pile of sand, but hey, imagination.

His eye was drawn towards the ocean, where he saw movement. Indeed, a hover bus was headed their way. And it was already close.

Thirty seconds later it stopped at the island and landed. Several thugs armed with big guns jumped out. They didn't look like they were here on a friendly visit.

The Turtle Hermit stood up, and calmly walked towards the group, his cane in one hand. "Are you from the government?" He asked. "I've paid all my taxes. And if you're here for training, I don't take students."

"No, you old fool, we're here for the kid!" The biggest goon with the biggest gun declared. "Hand her over, and we won't fill you up with holes."

"Do your mothers know you're out here?" Roshi wasn't about to let them intimate him. "I don't think they would approve."

"So you're a funny old man?" Another asked mockingly.

"Oh yeah, I'm the life of every party, and Kami's gift to the ladies." He grinned broadly as he made a peace sign with his free hand.

"Just ignore him." Someone advised. "Let's just grab the kid and be gone."

"Well, at least you didn't bring a whip." The old master remarked as he positioned himself between the men and Marron. "I'm wondering, what do you want with her?"

"To blackmail the golden wannabe, of course." The boss declared. "Now hand her over!"

"You obviously did not think this through. Because what makes you think her parents will let you?"

"We will make them!"

"I don't think so." Krillin stated. He had overheard every word, and decided to move over and pick up Marron, who was watching the exchange with mild interest.

"Did you forget about the part where Gohan said her parents have powers as well?" Roshi asked.

A shadow moved behind them. It was their bus being picked up by Eighteen, on one hand, and thrown away into the water with a flick of her wrist.

Master Roshi smiled at their shocked expressions. "The words _'we have made a terrible mistake'_ come to mind."

* * *

He looked into his glass sphere with disappointment. That didn't quite work out the way he had in mind.

It would seem he had underestimated the local resistance. Those people wouldn't be manipulated as easily.

He _could_ go public. It wasn't like anyone from this planet could stop him. But there might be some of his old foes here, just waiting for him to make a mistake. He was especially unsettled when one of his more powerful minions had vanished while he wasn't looking.

There weren't many capable of doing that.

And now there was this 'Golden God'. He could throw a wrench into his plans.

On the other hand, he might end up being 'plan B' if the gathering doesn't work out. It was taking longer than expected.

* * *

In an bar overrun by thugs, the radio was announcing the status of the idiots that went after Marron.

" _The poor fools have been cuffed and taken into custody. The officers said they were very cooperative."_

The boss nudged one of his underlings. "Good thing you talked me out of that one. I don't know why I thought that was a good idea."

* * *

Slowly, Erasa returned to the land of the living. She found herself having a bit of a headache, but then, she did drink a bit more than she expected. She blinked against the bright light, made worse by her hangover.

She also found herself in the arms of a guy. She just blinked a few times. She tried to remember yesterday, but nothing.

This _definitely_ wasn't a part of her plans the night before, so that set off a few alarms in her head. Thinking about the implications this might have in Gohan's eyes, she just kind of froze in place. At least she still had her clothes on and in place, which put her at ease just a little.

She tried to remember harder, but she really didn't remember anything. She had been drunk before, but never this bad. She recognized that she was in her hotel room, so she didn't go out afterwards. Unless a guy took her back here.

But then she probably wouldn't be wearing her clothes. The implications of what might have happened were extremely unsettling.

However there was another option. A MUCH better option.

But that is not possible! Still, she pushed up to check, and found herself looking at long blonde locks. It really was Sharpner! Except he looked a little different from before. He had a fairly large bruise on the side of his head, and a colour that was probably from sunburn.

For some reason, he had a single braid in his hair. Not the one she made, much rougher. But that just meant he put this one in himself.

He stirred and grunted painfully in response to her movement. And opened his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded, speaking softly thanks to her headache. Yes, she was happy to see him, but that didn't mean she wasn't angry anymore.

"Wah?" He replied intelligently, blinking against the light.

"Don't wah me!" She snapped. "Didn't you run off and leave me behind?"

"I changed my mind." He grunted. Oh, dear, that deep morning voice melted her on the spot. "How are you feeling? You were pretty wasted when I got here."

"I'm… good." She hesitated. She felt both glad he was here, and angry that he left. And then there was also one little detail. "What time is it?"

"I dunno." He grunted, turning to his back. "I literally just woke up."

"Just great." She sighed.

"Why, are you late for something?" He wanted to know.

"Don't take that tone with me." She grumbled. "I'm still mad at you."

"Really?" He gave her a small grin. It gave her a sense of foreboding. "Just last night you declared your undying love to me."

"I did?" She asked, with a little hesitation.

"Very clearly." He nodded.

It made her shrink under the covers, and whimper in embarrassment. "Noooooooo."

"Don't worry, I'll never let you forget it." He gave her some false hope.

This can't be happening to her. She just wanted to crawl up in her blanket until everyone forgot she ever existed.

And yet, it wasn't so bad. It was just some light hearted teasing. And if she were in his position, she knew she'd tease him. They were close friends, and both of them knew it was nothing more than that.

' _Friends.'_ She repeated in her mind. Now her hungover mind started worrying about Videl. These past few days had been hell for herself. She could only imagine what horrors Videl was going through.

And then her thoughts took a turn that made her feel extremely guilty.

Her 'friendship' with Videl had always been a little one-sided, but that wasn't Videl's fault. And the second she got the chance, Erasa turned on the girl. She would be surprised if things could ever go back to normal.

On the other hand, in Sharpner she had found someone who truly cared for her, and she treasured that. Though his girl-chasing habit was most definitely annoying, she knew it was an act. The mere fact that she, a pretty girl herself, and the one closest to him, had never been hit on by him told her all she needed to know.

Even when she was vulnerable he didn't move on her.

She pressed her lips together as she thought back to that incident. Sure, she had fought them off, but afterwards, once at home, she had been at her most vulnerable. She was scared and shaken. She even kind of offered herself to Sharpner, just for the promise he wouldn't leave.

Of course Sharpner knew something was up, and instantly became worried. Actually taking her up on that offer never even crossed his mind. That's how much he cared. And why she felt safe letting down her guard like that.

Erasa smiled slightly, and laid her head sideways to let it lean against his shoulder.

Even though she didn't recall him coming back, there was no need to ask if they ended up doing anything. She'd never want that. He'd never do that to her.

He knew she liked Gohan, and he respected that. She knew she could count on him to support her. And from now on, she was going to help him get together with Videl.

So they laid there, in silence, in thought, and comfort.

Until Sharpner broke the silence. "I'm sorry for leaving like that." He apologised.

"I'm sorry for being so selfish." She replied. "You were right, I never should have accepted that interview."

"Well, I should have gone with you." He stated.

"So, we're both sorry, and we both should have gone with the other?"

"Basically." He grinned. "Still friends?" He held up his hand.

"Yeah." She grinned, interlocking his hand with her own. "By the way, not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but why did you come back?"

"It didn't work out." He started.

"They couldn't teach you?" She asked, taken aback. He had been so sure when he left.

"I remember you scolding me for interrupting." He joked. "Anyway, I got there, the price of being a student was high, but I bullshitted my way in for free. Then I meet this murderer. Mercenary Tao."

"No way." She breathed.

"He's the one responsible for most of my bruises. He called it teaching. Long story short, the people were mean, arrogant, selfish and couldn't live up to their promise. They promised me power to rival Gohan's, but this so called power of theirs was nothing. So I packed up and left."

"How did you know they were not that strong?"

"I'm not sure." He admitted. "It all just… felt empty. I can describe it any other way. But what about you? What did you do?"

"Oh, nothing special. Saturday evening I left to go home, but you must have noticed what happened. So I went back. Then someone came knocking, lied about a delivery, so I ran away. I bought some hair dye and came here. I've been here all day yesterday, but I was going to leave this morning."

"Wait, you were going to leave?" He asked. "I guess it's a good thing I found you when I did."

"How did you find me? Was it that easy?" She then asked, sounding concerned. And not without reason.

"Because I know you." He replied, mostly to put her at ease. "Though it did take me a while to realise you would have dyed your hair."

"Do you like it?" Erasa asked with a slight grin.

"It's ok." He shrugged. "Personally I'm more into long black hair."

"Big surprise." She sighed.

"So, where will you be going?"

"Capsule Corp." She replied "I'm going to see Bulma Briefs. Maybe she can help me get closer to Gohan."

"That's on the other side of the world."

"I know." She replied casually. "Are you coming along?"

"How were you planning on going all that way?" He questioned. "I'm the one with the car."

"Public transport. I thought about using an airbus."

"All the way to West City?" Sharpner questioned. "That'll take forever."

"Yeah, well, you got any better ideas?" She snapped at him.

"Yes, actually." He replied, to her surprise. "I happened to do a little research, and I happened to know that some of Gohan's friends live nearby. Well, nearer than West City."

"Where?"

"On a little island in the middle of the ocean."

"Are you sure they'd appreciate us coming by?" Erasa rose a blonde eyebrow. "If they live on an island then something tells me that they don't want to deal with people."

"I'm not about to take no for an answer." He declared in full confidence.

It made her chuckle slightly. "I'm glad you came back." She said.

"So am I." He replied. And took her by the neck. He lifted her up slightly, and kissed her in her neck, just below her jaw.

It made her go beet red on the spot, and he did soon afterwards as well. It was a spur of the moment thing, which he regretted now.

"I should get changed." Erasa declared, and got off. Sharpner laid back down, flexing a few muscles to redirect his blood.

To get closer to Gohan. Not such a bad idea, actually.

In the bathroom, Erasa splashed cold water on her face. _'Dammit Sharpner!'_ She thought to herself. _'You're not supposed to do things like that with me.'_

She took a quick shower, and when she was done so did Sharpner, mostly at Erasa's pushing. The two left soon afterwards. Erasa was the one with the money, so she went to refuel the car. And drove the first part.

They headed East, towards the mountains. After about four hours she switched with Sharpner. And eight hours in they switched again.

The ride was awfully quiet. Though Erasa was initially happy to see the guy, now some nagging doubt was starting to spring up in the back of her mind.

And Sharpner seemed to be in thought as well. He was silent for the most part, and had started to reply with short answers. Something was bugging him. And Erasa had a pretty wild grasp on what that was.

After all, neither of them had a home to come back to now, and it was all her fault. She just had to go and stroke her ego. She wanted to apologise, like she had wanted to do before he suddenly reappeared. But somehow, that had gone different in her mind. She didn't expect him to just reappear in the dead of night, and leave her to find him in the morning. How was so supposed to bring it up now?

So she kept silent, as did Sharpner.

Sixteen hours had passed. They happened to see a parking lot on the side of the highway.

So they stopped, bought themselves dinner and slept in the car.

The next morning, both of them feeling understandably cranky from the cramped car, they had breakfast.

Erasa had taken a good look at her travelling companion. The bruise on his head had gotten even worse, and he was squinting against the morning light. She was starting to feel worried. What had happened to him?

So she asked.

He tried to weasel his way out, but eventually confessed the brutal training he got. Mercenary Tao beating him and calling it training.

And that girl hitting him in the head with a wooden pole.

This set off a few alarm bells. "Did you lose consciousness?" She asked him.

"Not really." He avoided it.

"It doesn't have to be for long, just for a second is enough." Erasa kept pushing. She heard from Videl how dangerous that could be.

"I didn't. I just saw black for a second, and found myself on the floor."

"So you did black out." She noted. "And you've got a headache ever since. Sharpner, I think you might have a concussion."

"I'm fine." He argued. "It's just a bruise. I drove yesterday, didn't I?"

"Yeah, I'm not going to let you drive today." Erasa concluded. "And I'm taking you to a hospital."

"I don't need to go. You've got headaches from time to time, don't you?"

"I got a bit of a hangover." She replied calmly. But she also decided to drop it anyway. She figured if it took her this long to start noticing, it probably wasn't that bad.

She was still not going to let him drive though. Luckily she didn't have to drive for all that long. In the early afternoon they arrived at the coast, where Sharpner rented a boat-capsule. One with a GPS, which was pretty handy, since maps didn't show the place they were headed.

* * *

In the afternoon of the previous day, Videl sat back against a rock. In her hand she held the rod. At her side stood the bucket, still empty, but she had only just begun.

It was quiet. She had grown to like fishing. The lack of people meant she didn't have to watch her words, or in Farmer Hurlocks case, hold her nose.

But smell aside, the man was not so bad. He had kept his word and hadn't told on her. Though things would probably be different if he knew she was Videl Satan.

But no, Videl is gone. Azura lived now. She nodded to herself. Her past was dead. It was the best way. She had to start over.

This morning she had taken down a few trees, and chopped them up. Tomorrow she'd turn them into proper firewood.

It was simple work, but she had to start somewhere. And the place was quiet, the people nice. It was a good place.

' _If only I'd get paid a little more.'_

And she froze. _'Why did I think that?'_ She asked herself. _'Everything I have is a gift, why am I demanding more?'_

There was a nasty feeling in her gut. Disgust. For her thoughts. For her greed. For the person she was pretending not to be. And above all, for the fact that after all she had been through, she was still the same egocentric selfish greedy bitch.

' _That's why the nimbus won't carry me.'_ She realised. _'Because once again, I was thinking about myself.'_

She put down the rod, and closed her eyes, letting her hands rest in her lap. She took a deep breath. This time, she didn't repress the nasty feeling, but instead she let it flow.

She had fallen into old habits. She was proud of her work. But what did she have to be proud of? She was trained by Gohan, completed her training with Korin. Of course she could chop wood faster, her strength had multiplied. That was nothing to be proud of. She had been taking it easy. And desired to be rewarded more.

She felt ashamed. _'No more.'_ She told herself. _'You not let yourself be controlled by greed any longer!'_

She took a deep breath. Control your breath, control your body, control your mind.

And as she breathed out, her feeling of disgust and shame flowed away with it.

Once again she felt herself clearly. Calm. Tranquil.

Pure.

Unclouded by desire, doubt and distractions.

She opened her eyes, and looked to the skies. "Nimbus!" She called.

And as dutifully as ever, her cloud came. Videl reached out, and touched it. Solid again. She hoisted herself on top of it, smiling to herself.

And promptly fell flat of her face.

"Can't I get a break already?" She sighed to herself. "Can't I even be proud of riding a Nimbus?" She rolled over to her back, looked up at the sky and promptly started chuckling.

The sun shone down on her, it's golden rays nearly blinding her. Kind of like a certain person she knew.

She reached up, imagining grasping the sun as she closed her hand.

"I still got a long way to go."

* * *

After a long day of work, Videl was sitting on her bed again. She had just enjoyed a wonderful bath, and quite a bit longer than the previous one as well. It was just so relaxing.

The radio was on, and the news had just played. And she had learned that her father had been captured by cultists. And nearly killed.

And that both he and this one dude named David were going to be appearing before court soon, both charged with crimes against humanity. Crimes against humanity! What kind of charge was that? Though it was probably crimes against the Golden God they were really charged with. Probably.

She wondered if she should go. She wanted to go and see her father. Yes, he did a horrible thing, but he was still her father. She wanted to see him. To ask him why.

But it would also mean coming out of hiding. She would have to show herself to the public, and to the authorities.

Thing is, she also had charges standing against her. The very same newscast had told her so. The only lawful one was 'Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution' because she didn't turn herself in immediately. No one had ever tried to arrest her, and it was literally the only thing they had against her, so she wondered how that one would hold up in court.

But it didn't matter. She couldn't go anyway. Not as long as she couldn't ride her Nimbus Cloud.

The radio was done giving unimportant details, and went over to a song. A bad one. Written In Gohan's honour, now with two extra parts.

As it played she was wondering if she should turn the thing off. Why was this song even written? Gohan wouldn't want any songs.

But she didn't feel like it. It would be so quiet otherwise. Besides, even if he didn't want it, Gohan did deserve it. And he definitely deserved a better song than this.

And when it was finally over, the presenter had the nerve to call it an 'emotional piece' and 'worthy to be recorded as a piece of our history'. As an example of how not to write sings maybe.

Luckily, they went over to an actual song right after that.

An old country one.

 _Out in the fields farmers grow bread.  
When called for the meals, they took for the shed.  
Then dark came to fall and silence was all.  
A beauty shone bright, surrounded by light._

Her mind went back to Gohan. It fit so incredibly well. As the next part came, she was just imagining him, standing there, glowing, looking at her. His golden energy flowing around him, his teal eyes tied to her own, smiling kindly.

 _Fell in love with an alien,  
Fell in love with her eyes,  
Fell in love with an alien,  
I'm telling you no disguise._

 _I'm in love with an alien,  
I'm in love with her eyes,  
I'm in love with an alien,  
I'm telling you no disguise._

As the song went on, she smiled to herself. That's it, isn't it? That's why she can't get him out of her head. He lodged himself into her life, into her heart.

But why? He had overturned the world overnight, robbed her of everything she had, made her own city hate her. He had a kind of power she couldn't even comprehend, and he wasn't exactly afraid to use it.

By all accounts, she had every right to hate him. But no, she just had to fall for him. Now she can't even properly blame him for everything.

She grabbed her pillow, and threw it at her imaginary Gohan.

' _Damn you, stupid sexy Gohan.'_ She grinned to herself. There was no helping her, was there? She was in way too deep.

The song came back to it's chorus, and she sung along, but this time she altered the lyrics to fit herself.

" _Fell in love with a deity,  
Fell in love with his eyes,  
Fell in love with a deity,  
I'm telling you no disguise._

 _I'm in love with a deity,  
I'm in love with his eyes,  
I'm in love with a deity,  
I'm telling you no disguise."_

She giggled to herself. She counted herself very lucky no one was here to hear her. That would be so humiliating.

* * *

" _I'm in love with a deity,  
I'm telling you no disguise."_

He looked at his friend. Did he just hear Azura sing? And giggle in such a manner? He saw the same question marks on the other's face.

There was something going on here, that much was certain.

* * *

"Hey." He greeted his friend right as the other walked into the room. It was still early on the farm, and he had only just started making breakfast. It was just the two of them, for now.

"Morning." The other greeted him. "I have been thinking, about what we heard last night."

"You too?" The first commented dryly. "By the way, you want eggs or bread?"

"Eggs, please. But doesn't that Azura seem awfully familiar. Blue eyes, black hair, not very tall. Girly. Not to mention Azura isn't really a good name for a guy anyway."

"It might be why Old Man Hurlock is more generous with _'him'_ than he is with us?"

"You think she's sleeping with him?"

"No one would touch the old man even with a ten feet pole."

"Fair enough." The other shrugged. "It just bugs me though. I just can't seem to place it."

"It's probably just someone hiding for safety. You know how crazy Satan City got, right?" He replied, his mind on the frying eggs.

"It's… Satan?" The other hesitated. "Satan!" He then exclaimed. And promptly sprinted out the room.

"Hey, what about the eggs?" He yelled after him. He couldn't leave, they'd burn, and neither of their hosts would take kindly to them wasting eggs.

"I'll be back in a minute!" The reply came.

The other sighed. Just great. What does Satan City have to do with Azura, so he wondered. He didn't have to wait for long, as the other came walking back, carrying their laptop, which was set up on the table.

"Satan." The guy mumbled to himself as he typed. No longer able to keep his curiosity in check, he abandoned his eggs and took a look at what was going on.

He saw several pictures of Videl Satan.

"Look." A frontal picture was pointed at. "The same eye colour."

"There are millions of people with blue eyes, that doesn't prove anything."

"No, but look. Look at her height. She's not very tall, just like Azura. And has black hair."

"Azura has short hair." He felt the need to point out.

"Well, you can cut long hair off. And it looks like it wasn't done all that well, in Azura's case."

"But come on, it has to be a coincidence." He protested, mostly because he didn't really want to believe it. "What are the odds of her hiding way out here?"

"Not large, but she had to have gone someplace." The reply came. "And look, it says Videl is a bit boyish. It wouldn't be much of a stretch for her to simply pretend to be a guy especially if that would help her hide better. And nowadays it's not safe for a girl to travel alone anyway. Or anyone, for that matter. But just look at their faces. You can't tell me Azura doesn't look like Videl!"

He had to admit, his buddy had a point. Unfortunately, he also heard the eggs sizzling, and had to tend to them.

Meanwhile, the other guy continued looking on the web. Both of them just kept on thinking about it, and the longer they thought, the more convinced they became.

When the eggs were done, the grandson of Old Man Hurlock came walking in for breakfast as well. And promptly demanded why they'd had the laptop with them, and if they expected to just loaf around all day or something.

Until they told him that Azura might be Videl. At which point he forgot about his laziness speech and took a good look.

As luck would have it, the subject in question was up as well, had smelled the eggs and came for some breakfast as well.

"Holy shit!" The grandson cursed under his breath, as his eyes went from the person in front of them to the pictures of the screen.

The other two were a little more subtle, but now all possible doubts had been erased. The two looked almost exactly alike.

"So, what's for breakfast?" Azura/Videl asked them, eying the freshly fried eggs.

"Eggs, obviously." The one who friend them replied. At first he wanted to tell her they were for the two of them, but then got an idea. "Help yourself."

"Thank you." She smiled slightly as she took a plate for herself, and a bit of egg and some bread. "Is the Old Man up yet?"

"Not yet." The grandson replied. "But he's getting in the years, even if he doesn't want to admit it."

"Oh well, I guess I'll be chopping the wood from yesterday then." Videl shrugged, and continued eating. She was the only one. And that would be a little weird, so the other three joined her, making a show of not knowing who she was.

But as soon as she was out of the room, to use the bathroom, the three had a meeting.

"Isn't there a price on her head?" The one who had fried the eggs asked.

"Most certainly." The grandson replied. "Listen, I got an idea, but you two got to play along. We'll split the money fifty-fifty."

"Three-way!" The third guy protested. "There's two of us, and we're the ones who recognised her!"

"Fine, three-way." The grandson gave in. "Listen up, it's simple…"

* * *

Videl shifted uncomfortably on the back of the tractor. They were going at quite the pace, and the land wasn't exactly flat. Since she was sitting right on the metal, every little bump was directly transferred to her, making this quite an uncomfortable ride.

She, the two freeloaders and the grandson of the Old Man were going way out into the field today. The fence had been rotting and had to be replaced, so the grandson needed a few extra hands to help him. Of course, being freeloaders, extra hands meant the three of them.

It had been nearly an hour already and they still weren't there yet. He wasn't kidding when he said it was way out. Still, Videl was in a pretty good mood, as she was looking forward to a day in the field. It wouldn't be such hard work for her, but it would be nice to work with other people for a change. Up until now she had been alone, save for dinner and such.

And yet, there as this strange feeling in her gut, it had been there ever since breakfast. Did she eat something wrong?

Another bump, so hard it neatly launched her away. One of the other guys actually fell off. "Sorry!" The grandson had noticed, and stopped to let the guy catch up and climb on again. Damn, if an inspector would see this, the farm would be shut down for serious breaches of safety protocols. But who's going to come way out here to this little place? And now that the world has changed, who's going to care?

Well, Videl cared a little. Sticking to the rules had always been a habit of hers. Giving the example and all that. But that was all in the past.

So it went on, she watched the grass go by, until finally, after well over an hour, they had arrived.

When he said the fence was rotting and had to be replaced in its entirety, he wasn't kidding.

Except…

"Where's the bloody wood?" One of the two freeloaders asked. "I thought it was supposed to be here."

"Maybe they've run late?" The grandson replied. "I'll give them a call. Why don't you three start on tearing down the old fence?"

Sure, seemed easy enough. So Videl took a look at one of the poles, and gave it a gentle kick, making the thing shatter to pieces. It was a miracle it hadn't fallen down under its own weight yet.

No wonder it had to be replaced. But there was one little problem now. The poles and beams it was supposed to be replaced with weren't here. They were supposed to have been delivered earlier this morning.

"Nice one." The other of the freeloaders complimented her. And grabbed himself a beam, and hoisted it to his shoulder, to throw it aside, to form a pile.

Videl watched him. And he watched her, for some reason. As he passed, his glance lingered on her for a bit. And it sent the shivers down her spine.

Something was wrong. She looked at the other guy, who was also grabbing himself some wood. And at the grandson, who was on the phone.

There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary.

"Hey, Azura, you working here or what?" She was called.

"Yeah, I…" She turned, but then froze in place. There was something in their eyes. Greed, lust. They were up to no good. Their faces didn't seem to have any strange expressions, and yet, she just… knew.

Things started to connect. The feeling she had this morning, the looks they had been giving her, the long way out here. The sudden change in schedule. The fact that something was supposed to be waiting here for them. Or, someone, perhaps?

She turned, and looked the way they came. It was a long way to the farmhouse, or anyone else for that matter.

"Hey, what you doing, spacing out?" The grandson asked. "Aren't you going to help out?" He was clearly done with his call.

"What, what's the hold-up?" One of the guys wanted to know.

"They got lost, they'll be here in a few minutes." The guy answered.

Videl made a decision. She did not want to wait for this someone to arrive. She had to get out of there, and fast!

The guys were looking at each other rather than her. Slowly she backed away from them, walking backwards. Of course, this didn't go unnoticed for long.

"Hey, what are you doing?" One of the guys asked her. "The work is over here. You got to help out too, you know?" He said nicely, way too nicely. That would have set off some alarm bells even if she didn't have that ominous feeling.

She turned and started running. "Hey, where are you going?" One called after her.

"Fuck!" The other cursed. "She's onto us! Get on the tractor!"

"What, you want to run her over?" The other protested.

"No, but she can't outrun us that way!"

Oh, but she could. Videl was already running faster than she had ever before. And she could speed up even more. For a second she forgot about the people after her. She felt the wind in her hair, saw the grass slipping underneath her. She pushed herself even more, just to see if she could.

And even faster she went. Far faster than the tractor had gone, and perhaps even faster than most off-road vehicles could go, she sped over the land.

She looked behind her. The three were pursuing, but she left them in the dust. Usually she'd feel proud of herself, but all she felt right now was relief. At least she had evaded this one. But now what? She was going to have to leave, preferably a long way away. Should she call her nimbus?

No, not yet. Sure, the owner of the farm knew she had it, but the other three didn't. And the more distance she could put between herself and this place before that got out, the better.

So she ran until her pursuers had vanished behind the horizon. Then she called her cloud, and rode the rest of the way, far faster than she had been running. It took no time at all to reach the place.

Inside she listened for a few moments, and let out a small sigh of relief when she heard a snore from the bedroom.

Safe. Relatively.

She gathered her small amount of belongings, and made her way back outside. By the kitchen she hesitated. She was going to need something to eat. But that would be theft.

' _Let it be theft.'_ She told herself. _'I need it.'_ She grabbed herself two breads and a chunk of cheese, as well as a handful of jars of vegetables. _'Don't take more than what you need.'_ She reminded herself, and put one of the jars back. She reached in her pocket and threw down her small bundle of cash. It was nowhere near enough, but it was all she had.

So she fled the valley, and headed south, since she simply didn't have the warm clothes to go further north.

* * *

It was the dead of night. At Capsule Corp, things were still going on. With this whole Golden God issue going on, Bulma had been working late, to keep the company out of trouble.

But trouble was heading her way already.

Trouble in the form of a middle-aged man. A former employee. He was fired by Bulma herself, since he had accepted a bribe from a competitor. Of course, it was no real bribe, but bait, a trap, and he had fallen for it.

First she set him up, then she fires him over it? And publicly too. He had lost everything, his work, his love, his life. He was married to another employee, and she had divorced him over the issue.

And now he had even lost his house. Well, not as much as lost as he had sold it. For an opportunity. A chance of revenge. A chance to right a few wrongs. The right to study under the Crane Master.

And he had learned a few things. Now he could harness the power of the Golden God himself, though probably not as much, but hey, it still counted.

And with that power, he was going to take vengeance. First on his shit-list? His ex-wife. Already taken care of. And with her body vaporised, no one could prove it was him.

Next? Bulma herself. He wasn't quite sure what he was going to do yet, but he knew there were limits to what he could get away with.

He couldn't erase the body, since she was a public figure, so that left out anything that could lead back to him.

Oh well, he'd have all night to figure it out. and probably all day too, since there was no-one around who could stop him now.

All confident, he put on his mask, and walked in the front door. The secretary looked up at the late comer, and the moment she saw a masked man, she hit the distress button, as he knew she would do.

Lockdown.

Perfect. He punched through a barrier that had come down, knocked out the woman with a blow to the head for good measure, and made his way towards the private wing of the building. He had been planning this, and damned if he was going to let anyone stand in his way.

He knew where to find Bulma, in her personal office, not far from her lab. Breaking through that door was a piece of cake.

"Hello, long time no see." He greeted her, in a low and threatening tone.

"Have we met?" She asked, not at all impressed, barely looking up from her papers.

"I used to work here, until you ruined my life." He stated bluntly

"You're going to have to be a little more specific." She answered, but at least she was looking at him now, though only with a mild annoyance.

"Then how about this?" He gathered energy into a blast. "You know what this is, don't you?" He grinned at her shocked face. "That's right, I can do that too now. I will make you remember, and then I will…"

A bright blue light covered the wall. The man could see his own shadow in w sharp contrast. Then he was bathed in pain, his vision giving one fin flash of blue light before switching to black. He wanted to scream, but he no longer had the ability. All he could do was feel his body being disintegrated.

Then he saw something. A golden light. Golden clouds. And a long path towards a large castle, dotted by small, white little clouds.

* * *

Bulma grimaced. Even though she knew it was going to happen, seeing someone be reduced to ash isn't exactly something she could just watch without flinching.

After all, he was still a human, and should have had the right of a trail.

But Vegeta decided that Bulma's safety was more important than Human laws, and took matters in his own hand, erasing the man, along with a part of the floor, roof and some of the wall. He got a little carried away there.

"What was that all about?" He asked Bulma.

"I don't know, he didn't get to that part." She replied, still looking a little pale, and sat down. She was going to need a bit of a drink to get this one out of her head. "Something about being angry about being fired. What I want to know is where he learned how to use energy."

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters!" She returned. And promptly sat down, and let out a large sigh like she was deflating. "Why am I yelling at you?" She mumbled. "The thing is, he had to have learned how to use energy somewhere, and there might be more where that came from. This is exactly why we didn't want to expose everything about energy just yet!"

* * *

The following morning at Kame House, Eighteen was in the bathroom, giving Marron a bath. Living on a beach with a toddler probably wasn't her best life decision.

Krillin was sitting on the sand outside, while behind him Master Roshi was reading a porno, as usual.

He was trying to meditate. But gave up on that when he sensed two energy signatures approaching. He sighed mentally sighed. _'Here we go again. At least there are only two of them this time.'_

Soon enough, a small boat stopped just of the beach, and two teenagers jumped out, a guy with long blonde hair with one braid in it and a girl with brown, both on bare feet since they were walking through water.

They weren't armed, which was nice, though the guy had several bruises. Especially the one on his head looked bad.

"You do know this is private property, right?" Krillin approached the both of them.

"We're looking for someone named Krillin, does he live here?" The guy asked.

"Yeah, I live here, but who are you?" Krillin wanted to know.

"You're Krillin? I thought you'd be bald." The guy stated his surprise.

"I was never bald, I just shaved. "He informed them, annoyed. He got that all the time. "But what brings you here?" He still hadn't gotten answer to any of his questions.

"We would like to talk to you. About Gohan." The girl replied. "We read you studied martial arts together with his father. I'm Erasa, and this is Sharpner. We're kinda like friends of Gohan."

"Friends of Gohan?" He repeated. Come to think of it, those two did look familiar, and he could have sworn he had heard Gohan mention them a few times as well. But what would they be doing all the way out here? To ask for training? Wait, didn't she say she wanted to talk about Gohan?

He gestured to the house. "Would you like to come inside?" He offered. "I think I could tell you a thing or two about Gohan."

"Sure, thank you."

He looked over at Roshi, who was so engrossed in his reading he didn't even notice the young woman visiting them. Which was probably for the better, all things considered.

Inside he offered them some refreshments and sat down at the table.

"So…" Krillin started. "What happened to you?" He addressed Sharpner. "You look like you've been on the receiving end of a battering ram."

"I fell down some stairs." Sharpner lied blatantly.

"No you didn't." Erasa objected.

"Fine, I made a bad decision and got beaten up over it." He then confessed.

"How bad is it?" Krillin wanted to know.

"Not that bad." He downplayed it.

Krillin didn't believe him. Especially when Erasa said she suspected a concussion. A blow to the head hard enough to make him blackout, and leave a mark like that? A concussion was pretty likely. But if so, then this guy had an endurance to rival his own.

Luckily, they had a habit of keeping some Senzu Beans around Kami House. Krillin took one, and threw it to him. "Eat this, you'll feel better." He instructed.

"What is this?" The blonde questioned.

"It's a magic bean." Krillin replied.

"Magic?" He sounded sceptical.

"Sure, you know Gohan can fly and use energy, so why would a magic bean be so weird?" He asked pointedly.

He scowled, but admitted defeat and ate the thing. Predictably his wounds vanished instantly.

The teen opened his mouth in his amazement, and looked at his hands. "What? How?"

"Told you, magic." Krillin said, grinning proudly.

"I'm healed." He stated the obvious.

"Yes, that's why I gave it to you." Krillin added.

"It doesn't hurt. And my headache is gone." Sharpner went on in his excitement.

It made Krillin chuckle to himself. He had forgotten what it was like looking from the outside in, and seeing things like this for the first time. "It's amazing, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Erasa nodded. "Where did you get those?"

"Sorry, but that's a trade secret." Krillin replied. "So tell me, why did you travel all the way here? It can't be on just a whim."

"It's about Gohan." Erasa started. "Every time I think I know him he says or does something that changes everything. So I thought I'd talk to someone who has known him for longer than we have."

"And why would you want to know him better?" Krillin asked, even though he did have a suspicion. And to the surprise of no one, the brunette gained a slight blush.

"She has a pretty big crush on him." Sharpner ratted her out.

' _Ah, young love.'_ He thought to himself. There was something pretty sweet about this. "To start, I'm not sure how much Gohan has told you." Krillin stated .

"We know he is half Saiyan, and has gone in space as a little boy." Sharpner informed him.

"I see." The monk nodded. "You two want to understand him better, right? And you've seen two sides of him. The kind boy, and the ruthless warrior."

"But which one is the real one?" Erasa asked.

"Neither and both." Krillin replied. "They are simply two sides of one whole. And not a split personality either. Both are Gohan, and he isn't Gohan without both. But that isn't all. Gohan is a complicated boy. He hates violence, but will beat someone to death without losing any sleep over it when pushed. He is intelligent, but utterly lacking in the common sense and logic departments. He is kind and loves nature, but would also kill animals for food as easily as feeding or codling them. It's because of his own dual nature. The two sides of one whole."

"But how did he get like that? Is it because he is half Human?" She wanted to know.

"Surprisingly, no." Krillin answered. "It would be easy to push his warrior side to his Saiyan half, and his scholar side to his Human, but that's just not right. True, Saiyans are warriors, but they got around to having space travel, so there got to have been at least a few Saiyan scientists. And you've only got to look in the history books to see how violent Humans can be. No, I think it's actually his upbringing. He has always been a kind and loving boy, but also incredibly powerful, and had to fight many times for the fate of the world. But in the end, it is his power that marks the biggest difference to a normal Human."

"How?" Sharpner asked.

"I think I know." Erasa replied. "Remember back in the alley, when he got in between that mugging girl and the woman. Both of them were scared of him, but it was like he didn't really get that. He even asked if we thought he was scary."

"You're right." Sharpner nodded. "It was like… he didn't understand why people see him the way they do."

Krillin smiled slightly. "You're right, he doesn't. He can't. But let me explain. Imagine a child. A four year old. How much control does such a child have over their own lives? Bedtimes are set, others determine when they eat, what they eat, where they play, when they play, what they play with. You can pick up a child and move across the world and there is no say the child will have in this. It is one of the reasons why children sometimes refuse to eat. It is the one thing they have power over. Even temper tantrums can be a power play. Though not always.

And that's fine. We Humans survive as a species by controlling ourselves, and our surroundings. Most Humans are naturally drawn to power.

Which is one of the reasons why Gohan's powers caused such a massive outrage. It shattered the illusion of control.

But the biggest problem here is that Gohan has never been that powerless child. He does not understand the feeling of being powerless. Even if outmatched, he had always been able to at least help out, to influence the outcome of battles just a little bit. For reference, if you could assign the average human male a number representing their strength, it would be about five. At the age of four, Gohan could easily skip into the thousands."

He paused for a second. Sharpner looked a little surprised, when Erasa looked horrified.

"His poor mother." She then claimed. "Having to deliver such a child."

This made Krillin laugh. "Well, his mother had another Saiyan kid after Gohan, so it can't have been all that bad." He added between two fits. "But back on track. Gohan has always had a massive power. Luckily for everyone, he is a kind and gentle soul, and takes direction without the threat of punishment. Any control anyone has over him is because he allows it. And sometimes he just says no, and nothing can force him into anything. Like the time where he decided he was coming along with us into space."

"You went into space?" Erasa wondered.

"Yes, I was there as well." He replied. "His own mother couldn't get him to stay. Or when he wanted to help fight against the androids. Again, no one could stop him. Or when he decided that Cell had to suffer for his crimes, and no one could persuade him otherwise."

"But that was because of the transformation, right?" Erasa asked.

"Partly." Krillin admitted. "In the end, Gohan is a nice guy. And not one of those pushovers, or those that are nice to you and now you owe them sex types. He is genuinely nice. But he is also the living embodiment of beware of the nice ones.

But for all of his kindness, Gohan has always lived apart from the rest of the world. His high power meant he was always in control of his life. Because of that, he doesn't really understand the normal Human.

Peer pressure, social norms, societal conformation? Those are all alien to him. In his mind, oppression is a tyrant stepping on your head, and mental manipulation is a psychic attack.

To normal Humans, a mountain is something to be conquered, lightning force of nature, and the sun is as unreachable as it is inevitable. To Gohan, a mountain can be swept away like an anthill, lightning is a side-effect of his power, and he can literally point up and shoot the sun out of the sky. He sees the world in a completely different way.

Normal Humans may not really be able to relate with him, but he can't really relate with them either. He doesn't know what to do with the world, just like the world doesn't know what to do with him.

But he's smart and learns fast. A few weeks ago he couldn't even imagine something like this, but now he is already adjusting to his new place in the world. Granted, he doesn't like it, but he is learning."

"Wow, I never even imagined that his power would have so much effect on him." Erasa breathed.

"Yeah, it's quite something to wrap you head around." Krillin nodded. "But with all of that said, I believe that the Gohan you've seen at school, the kind and shy boy, is who he truly is. Or at least, who he wants to be."

"Then did he enroll to learn about the normal human?" Sharpner wanted to know.

"Nope. It's like he said, he wanted friends his age. He is straightforward like that." Krillin smiled. And thought to himself. _'And here are two people travelling all this way just to learn a little more about him. Gohan, you've picked some fine friends.'_

"Wow." Erasa breathed, while Sharpner nodded. "It's just so much to take in."

"And we're just getting started." Krillin joked.

"Oh, we have guests." Eighteen came walking down with a beautiful squeaky clean girl in her arms. "And you are classmates of Gohans, are you not?" She asked in her usual level tone. The mere fact that she recognised them meant she did care. But she wasn't the best at showing that.

"This is my wife, Eighteen." Krillin introduced her. "And our daughter, Marron."

"Eighteen?" Sharpner repeated. "Like, the number eighteen?"

"Yes." She replied shortly. "I am the eighteenth android made by Dr Gero. Same guy who made Cell."

Well, that was definitely a bombshell.

Erasa was frozen to the spot, only her eyes moving between Eighteen, Sharpner and Krillin. Sharpner wasn't frozen, so he just looked back and forth with a hilariously bewildered look on his face.

"Cell was made by someone?" The blonde guy eventually asked.

"Where did you think he came from?" Eighteen asked them.

Erasa opened her mouth, and closed it again, and the two shared a glance. "Actually, we don't know." She then admitted.

"I'm starting to see how that guy could keep his lie up all this time." Eighteen stated as she sat down, her daughter on her lap. "Nobody bothered to fact-check."

"Honey!" Krillin called, slightly annoyed. There's awkward, there's direct, and then there's antisocial.

"I guess we deserved that." Erasa sighed. "And now it's happening all over again, isn't it? People blindly following Gohan, I mean."

"Not exactly." Krillin denied. "It only looks that way because of what the media says, but those are just the extremes. In case you haven't noticed, things are actually calming down now. The extremist and their big mouths make it seem worse than it is."

"So what are you two going to do now?" Eighteen changed topics.

"To be honest I didn't really think that far." Erasa admitted.

"In that case, there's something I'd like to ask." Sharpner started carefully. "I'd like to… We'd like to… Please take us as your students." He bowed his head.

"No."

"Thank you, we won't…" He started. "Wait what?"

"No." Krillin repeated. "We are not taking on new students. "

"Why not?" Sharpner wanted to know.

"Well, we decided that it would be better if we didn't go and teach everyone who came to our door. These are troubled times, and we have no idea how this will impact the balance. Besides, I do not think it is what I should do." Krillin answered cryptically.

"What he's trying to say is that you're friends of Gohan's, and he doesn't want to go behind Gohan's back." Eighteen spoke for him.

"Honey!"

"So we've got to ask Gohan?" Sharpner asked Eighteen.

"I think that would be best. Besides, he agreed to teach Videl."

"Gohan taught Videl?"

"Yeah, he didn't mention that part?" Krillin asked surprised. "I thought he told you about that."

"I don't think we got to that part." Sharpner admitted.

"So where is Videl now?" Erasa wanted to know. "Is she safe? What is she doing?"

"Oh, last I heard she's safe with a friend of ours, doing some training." Krillin answered. Making a mental note to check with Korin on her status. "She's on her own journey in search of her identity, even if she doesn't know it herself yet."

"Her identity." Sharpner repeated, looking down at the table.

"And so are the both of you, in a way." Krillin added kindly. "Don't worry, Gohan will take you in, if you ask him. Just go up to his home."

"We can't do that!" Erasa protested. "Gohan want to be left alone, doesn't he?"

"That's for pilgrims, cultists, reporters and such. I'm sure he'd love it if you came to visit." Krillin said. To be honest, he wasn't sure about that one, but he didn't believe Gohan would actually want his friends to stay away as well.

"Hey." In the time the grownups were talking, the preschooler had freed herself from her mother's grasp, and was now tugging on Erasa's top. "You're that lady from TV." She stated.

"Yes, I am." Erasa smiled at her. "And I think you were on TV as well."

"I was, with uncle Gohan." She stated happily. "We're both famous now?"

Erasa couldn't help but chuckle. "I guess we are."

"Will you two stay for lunch?" Eighteen then asked. "You must have come a long way to get all the way out here."

"Well, if you insist…" Erasa hesitated.

"We do." Krillin decided.

* * *

At this time, on the 439 mountain area, Gohan and his mother got a visit from his grandfather.

"I've got good news." The Ox King addressed his daughter. "Looks like your little trip yesterday paid off. Every single one of them has paid up. Not only that, we got more money than they actually owed."

"How is that?" Chichi asked, though she probably did have a good idea.

"I think most of them rounded it up, in an effort to please Gohan." The giant explained, then addressed his grandson. "But what are you planning with it?"

"I'm not sure yet." He replied. "I would like to channel it back to where it was supposed to go, but I've only got the one sum, so it will dry up sooner or later."

"You could always host regular collections among the faithful." His grandfather suggested, though only half serious.

"Grampa." He said annoyed.

"What?" The ox king pretended not to know.

"I guess I'm going to have to prioritise." Gohan sighed.

"There's also a message from King Furry." His grandfather continued. "He says hi. He also mentioned he has heard about your trips to the wealthy and large sums of money being transferred, and wonders what that was all about. And he'd like to have a few words with you, mostly on keeping certain self-proclaimed followers of yours under control."

* * *

A few hours later.

A bead of sweat made its way down his face and fell on the tiles. Gohan forced himself to push up again. The high gravity pulled on his body. Perhaps doing his warm-up under a hundred times wasn't such a good idea.

He was interrupted by his little brother banging on the door. "Gohan!"

"What is it?" He called back.

"Videl was on TV." Goten announced.

* * *

Gohan saw several copters flying back and forth from his position in the clouds. He hadn't been noticed, thankfully, but he didn't want to be either.

Apparently, this was the farm where Videl had been staying for a few days. He didn't even know she had come down from Korin Tower. _'Why did she go all the way here?'_ He asked himself. _'And why didn't she come back?'_

He looked around. It was a beautiful place, a small village not far away, a lake, and mountains all around them. It was quiet and peaceful. Or it would be without all of the reporters and police officers all around.

Videl was of course long gone. But where to?

* * *

Korin looked up over the edge. "Gohan, what brings you here?"

"I didn't know Videl had left already." The floating boy stated.

"She completed her training a few days ago." The white cat replied. "I thought she was going back."

"She must have changed her mind". He said. "I heard she had been spotted near North City. It was all over the news."

"And what are you going to do?" Korin asked, even though he probably already knew.

"I'm going to look for her." He already turned around to fly off.

"Gohan!" Korin called sharply. He floated up to the guy. "Don't."

"Why not? What if she needs help?"

"You're worried, I understand." The other said. "But she needs a little space to herself, so she can work some things out. She'll come back, I've read so in her heart. She wants to go back."

"But what if she's in trouble?"

"Remember, after completing his training here your father took down an entire army by himself. She's stronger than she thinks she is." Korin put a reassuring paw on Gohan's shoulder. "She'll be fine."

* * *

 **End of Chapter**

* * *

 _On the Day of the Awakening, with His winds of power blowing,  
with His voice ringing through the sky, and His bright hair flowing,  
while the earth was trembling beneath Him, and the golden fire glowing,  
He returned to us his home again, only to stand and see._

 _We have forsaken Him our Saviour, He who had helped us in our need,  
passed Him off as a mere shadow, denied Him in our greed.  
He came and saw we did not wonder, how He had performed the deed,  
declared His powers to be trickery, told ourselves He couldn't be._

 _But He was kind and was merciful, did not punish us with His might,  
swept away all our transgressions, forgave us for our slight.  
He gave us the change to apologise, gave us time to set it right.  
But in His eyes He retained one question. "Why did you forget me?"_

 _Then on the Day of the Reckoning, when He saw we were still in sin,  
He took the lives of seven as, His grace was running thin.  
We have to heed to His warning now, before He does us all in,  
For His kindness fills an eternity, but so does His decree._

 _When He saw that we were still struggling, trying to give ourselves some grounds,  
in His kindness with no limits, His mercy without bounds,  
He said to us "Do not worship Me, though I know how strange this sounds,  
I wish this world to be the peaceful place, that I know it can be._

 _You do not need me to keep the peace, I just want to be left alone.  
I am not here to govern you, so should have been well known."  
He has given us a directive, a way to show how we've grown.  
We will fight to see this peace happening, and this will set us free._

The full song, if anyone was wondering. Probably no-one, which is why I put it down here. So why did I even add it in the first place? Because I believe songs would be written in Gohan's name, so not including it would lessen the story.

Besides, music is a pretty big part of the lives of the modern human.

And about the Roshi scene, in case you've forgotten, Roshi could be a massive troll.

Special thanks to MrChuckMan for beta-reading, and adding to the story.

By the way, this is my longest chapter yet. and I wanted to try and shorten the chapters too. TT_TT. There is just so much I want to do.

* * *

Ok, rant time. :)

(I wrote this note in early December)

I know the first chapter of this story went up in April, but it was around this time last year that I actually started writing some notes on this story as it is now.

I said in a previous note (somewhere) that this story started out as an alien invasion, but Gohan was simply too OP (plz nerf) for it to work. And that's where I started thinking more along the lines of the world being shocked by his power.

So I started looking for stories like that, and though there were stories about Gohan's power being revealed, as far as I found, all of them focused on the characters themselves, and particularly Videl, and how they were dealing with it, rather than the world at large, which was what I was looking for.

So I decided to write that story, and named it…

"Gohan gets revealed and the world is in awe, the story."

I'm not even joking. The actual name "Golden God" came in later.

It wasn't much of a story yet, more a collection of notes that I wanted to use. In fact, Gohan's appearance in ch1, King Furry's first speech, Videl's time on the Lookout, Gohan's speech on live TV and his talk with King Furry are all things I wrote down the very same day, as well as a couple of future events. There are even a couple of possible endings in there.

There have been a couple of people asking how long I'm planning on making this story. To be honest, I'm not sure how many chapters are going to come, but I'm about halfway through my original notes.

That said, the first note reads: _Aliens try to drain Satan City, Gohan turns super and stops them._ That's about the entirety of ch1. So being halfway through those doesn't really mean much. Especially since I'm expecting to be able to go through a couple of them soon.

On the other side, Erasa and Sharpner's journey weren't part of the story yet by that time either.

That sure was unhelpful, wasn't it?

Though, there is one thing I'd like to address. Yes, I'm going to go into Buu saga, but I am not going to do the whole fight. Because, in the end, that's just not important. So expect that part to be rather short (in comparison to the real deal).


	14. Chapter 14, Goodwill

A/N: It's official, these chapters have grown too long.

Like, way too long now.

In fact, I have chopped this chapter in half and ended up with two full chapters. Imagine that.

On the plus side, it meant I ended up with an additional chapter. One that I'm going to have to name now…

I'd like to thank everyone who left me a review. I have become an aspiring writer now, and I'd like to improve even more. Let's just say I ended up enjoying writing fiction far more than I thought I would.

Of course, getting so many people who read this work certainly helped motivating me as well.

Also, left me a review, noting that my conversations are a bit too polished. Well, what can I say? Guilty as charged.

Though in the case of the conversation with Krillin, that was especially bad. It was originally with Vegeta, but I quickly realised that this wasn't going to work, and it has been shuffled around a lot at this point. I guess it ended up being pretty visible.

I intended to re-write that part a bit, but it fell a little to the background, between personal life, and this chapter being split in half.

I'll definitely try to watch it for future chapters though.

So please, leave me a review with your thoughts.

And most important of all, enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

 **Goodwill**

* * *

Videl winced as she pressed herself against the alley wall. Even through her shirt, the rough brick jammed painfully into her back. The smaller she could make herself, the better.

From her hiding spot at the end of a short alley, she could see glimpses of the local townspeople as they searched the streets. Looking for her. It was a small town, so she knew she couldn't hide for very long.

She ducked her head down behind a barrel, expecting someone was about to pass. Sure enough, just a moment later a beam of light illuminated the alley, making her hold her breath, but it was only for a couple of seconds.

She exhaled and took a deep breath of the fresh morning air, ignoring the stench coming from the dumpster behind her. It was still dark out, and for that she was grateful. However, the sun would rise at any time now.

She thought this suburban area would be a good place to lay low for a while. Sadly, fate had other ideas. She must have been recognized instantly. At first, it did seem promising, but the people merely pretended to be friendly in order to bring down her guard.

The incident at the farm had revealed to the world that she was pretending to be a boy. Making it that much harder for her to blend in. At this point, she didn't have much choice than to abandon the farce. Luckily, she did still have a couple of cards up her sleeve. While in the alleyway she had changed her appearance. Gone were the jeans and t-shirt that were being published in her description. In their place was the purple and red outfit that Gohan had given her. Well technically it was Piccolo who supplied it, but that wasn't the point. Perhaps some hair dye would come in handy? Or maybe a wig? Everyone knew she had short hair now.

Then there was her other advantage. No-one knew about the existence of her Nimbus Cloud, and she needed to keep it that way. It was why she came here on foot, and why she would sneak out on foot. A cloud was neat and really fast, but so easily recognizable.

In the short term, it might serve as a quick getaway… Assuming it would accept her.

In the long term, however, she still had to find a way to live without the imminent threat of death or worse looming over her head. The longer she could keep the cloud under wraps, the better her chances of that happening. The last thing she needed was to be spotted while riding it.

She stretched out a little bit. The search seemed to be slowing down, and that was a good reason to relax. These clothes were really comfy. She could see why Gohan liked them.

She wasn't planning to go undercover in these clothes, but she didn't have to. She wasn't going to stick around much longer. Besides, it was already known that she had an outfit resembling that of the Golden God.

Which was why Videl had left off the purple top, and let the red shirt hang out loosely over the pants. Perhaps, if people didn't look at her too closely, she could slip through the net.

It was being called a blasphemy, by the way. The spawn of Satan disguising herself as an Angel of Light. Or so she heard. She made a mental note to get her hands on something new, and fast!

You'd think that after Gohan's speech to the cultists, things would have calmed down, but no, people were still doing stupid shit. Well, at least they were no longer invoking his name. Gohan had made pretty clear he did not like that, and right now, that was a line no-one dared to cross.

Except for the Golden Cult, of course. How those people were still around was anyone's guess. And how they haven't made headlines yet, for one atrocity or the other was even more of a head-scratcher.

This town turned out to be no better than Golden City. While they didn't have the Golden Cult, there was definitely a worship of some kind. Their unified response to her arrival was evidence enough of that.

"Hey!" Someone called into the alley. She had been seen. "What are you doing there?!" A guy with a gun demanded of her, shining a flashlight into her eyes.

"I thought that Videl might be hiding here." She tried. She felt the adrenaline hitting her veins. It was one of those cultists!

"And you went to look by yourself?" The man asked, using an insulting tone. "That bitch is a skilled fighter, you're not going to take her in by yourself!"

"I'm sorry, I thought I…" Videl started.

"Go home to your mommy, kid." He interrupted her. "Let the adults take care of this one." And with that, he promptly turned around and left.

Videl's legs gave way and she dropped down to her knees, her heart still thumping rapidly. Mistaken for a kid. She couldn't believe her luck. But best not waste it now!

So, she jumped up and ran out the other way.

* * *

A teenage girl walked into a badly lit room, packed with armed men. It reeked of alcohol, sweat and gunpowder. Several machine guns were carelessly flung across the tables, and boxes of bullets were stacked up near the door. Most of the lights had been shot out of their sockets, and the group ended up loving the look of the gloomy atmosphere so much that they didn't bother replacing them. It made them look badass.

She had to resist the urge to puke. Some of the men were ogling her, but she paid them no heed. She had a mission. Find the biggest guy with the biggest gun, the biggest mouth and the smallest brain. Usually, it was all wrapped into one person.

Someone set down a chair for her at a table, just across from said man. Marching toward him, she opted to lean on the arm instead of sitting down.

"Welcome." The man said, somewhere between annoyed and sneering. "I hope you like our little man-cave. I must say, you've got a lot of guts walking in here."

"Yeah, let's skip the small talk." She crossed her arms, folded one leg over the other, and raised her chin. Experience taught her that this tactic made the men feel insecure. Literally look down on them, and they will crumble. Her posture also helped with her own confidence. She didn't have a high opinion of his kind. Still, the Golden God had given his commandant, and she would see it happen.

"Alright, take off your clothes, and we can get started." The guy replied.

She rolled her eyes. Always the same jokes. And always the same laugh. She was starting to believe all men were like this.

Well, she knew Son Gohan wasn't like this. One man in the world. Yeay.

He was trying to get a reaction out of her. To take control of the conversation. Rather than replying to him, she just stared at him, internally willing her eyes to burn a hole through his skull. Too bad she would probably miss his brain. Small target and all.

It didn't take long for him to lose his nerve. "What do you want, you little psycho?" He demanded.

"I want you to put away your little toys, and actually do something useful." She commanded.

"Sorry, but we're going to have to decline." He refused immediately. "The Golden God has tasked us with restoring the peace, and so we will!"

"Couldn't you, I don't know, not fight?" She asked him. "Your deity did tell you to stop fighting and make peace, so why aren't you?"

"We will have to make peace before that can happen." He replied. Always the same answer. Make peace by force and violence.

"And why would you do that?" She asked with feigned interest palpable in her tone. "It can't be for Son Gohan, because I'm pretty sure he wouldn't like you bothering people and robbing places in his name."

"We need the money to become stronger, and then we can retake Golden City in his honour."

"Oh, really." She raised an eyebrow. "With this rabble?"

"We have a lot more followers than just the people here." Someone else spoke up. "We are nearly a hundred strong now! So, who are you to mock us, little girl?"

"Oh, how rude of me." She nearly giggled in amusement. "I completely forgot to introduce myself. I am Lime, and I speak for the Golden Cult, which has over a million members in Golden City alone."

Several gasps were heard at those words. It was a little lie, but it was almost true, just two hundred thousand short of a million. Almost all of the people who remained in the city had become part of the Golden Cult. And that wasn't even counting worldwide.

"I am here to absorb your little ragtag bunch of misfits into our group. But first you're going to have to put the guns down and stop all the violent acts. We will not tolerate such behaviour!" As she spoke, her voice got increasingly stern. As much as she always had fun with the introductions, this was serious business.

"The Golden Cult?" The boss repeated. "You people have done nothing. Why should we join you?"

"Isn't it nothing that the Golden God wants us to do?" She returned. "So, we're doing exactly that, unlike you."

"We are restoring order in the city."

"By throwing more fuel to the fire." She returned. "If Gohan wanted a takeover, he'd do it himself. He has the power to make the city shake with his voice, surely he wouldn't need you and your little peashooter to do the work for him?" She mocked him. "All you're going to achieve like this is a criminal record if you're lucky. A God breathing down your neck if you're not! And some people have been unlucky. You wanna be next?"

"I will not sit here and be insulted like this!"

"Then stand up, or lay down, I don't give a shit!" She snapped. "You are a nuisance! You are making a lot of problems for a lot of people here! It's got to stop, now! Or there will be severe consequences!"

"Didn't you put your guns away?" One of the men asked her, in a superior tone. "What you going to do, look at us as we mow you down?"

"No, we are going to look on as you get your due." She replied calmly. "We, the Golden Cult, do not have to do anything! The police will round you up. And if not them, the army. And even if you manage to get past those guys, you'll have Son Gohan himself to tangle with. Do you think he'll be grateful for turning his city into a war zone, or you think there will be another Day of Vengeance?"

Lime straightened up, no longer using the chair for support. "We want peace. We want the fighting to stop. We are the silent majority, and we are sick and tired of your extremist bullshit."

* * *

Erasa gazed over the passing scenery. They had been driving since yesterday. When evening fell, Sharpner had suggested buying a tent. She had nearly gagged and insisted on getting a cheap hotel. Humans only slept in tents until man figured out how to build walls. Sharpner had argued that they couldn't keep doing that, as they were running out of money. She knew he was right, but a lady still had to have some standards. Ultimately, they slept in the car for the night.

If they were going to drive out to the 439 mountain area by car, it was going to take some time. There weren't any highways, or even proper roads, and they only had a bit of cash left. Sharpner's discovery that Videl's belongings had no value outside of the city was not reassuring. They definitely did not have enough for gas, food, and hotels for the entire journey.

She sighed. Golden City was drawing closer, but they still didn't have a plan beyond _'Hey! Let's go see Gohan and see if he'll show us how to blow up an alien spaceship!'_. They didn't even have a place to stay. Speaking of which, perhaps she should call her parents to let them know what had happened. You know, before they arrived home to discover that their house was destroyed, and daughter was missing.

Definitely not looking forward to that conversation. She needed a distraction.

"Hey, Sharpy?"

"It's Sharpner."

"Do you really want to learn about energy?" She asked.

"I do." He replied. "What about you? Didn't you want to learn how to fight?"

"I want to learn how to defend myself." She corrected him. "I'm not a fighter like you."

"Yes, you are." He argued. "Erasa, I watched you take down several guys by yourself."

"That was a fluke." She protested.

"It was awesome." He didn't give in. "You really surprised me with that. You saved my ass."

Erasa's protest got stuck in her throat, so all she could do was sit there and have a happy blush.

"But if you want to learn to defend yourself, maybe you should join me?" Sharpner went on.

"I don't know." She replied. "Wouldn't it take a lot of training? I mean, at the Crane School they made you do regular training. And you're already strong. Wouldn't it just take forever for me?"

"Sure, I got a bit of a head start, but that's nothing you can't catch up on. Besides, when it comes to learning superpowers, I'm just as novice as you are. Sure, it'll be hard work, but come on. Superpowers! We'll be flying and shooting lasers. It's the most awesome thing ever! I've seen people sell their houses to learn that. And so would I!"

Erasa giggled. Oh, he was just being too much with all that adorably cute excitement he had there. She didn't actually have it in her to refuse him. Besides, the promise of flying and shooting lasers was very alluring.

"Let's just ask Gohan first." She decided.

* * *

" _A small earthquake beneath an inland sea had caused the seafloor to shift, which resulted in a flooding of a large part of the coast. We do not know what caused this earthquake, though we cannot deny the possible involvement of people with powers."_

"Isn't that just great." Krillin complained out loud. "Are we going to be suspected of every single disaster now?"

The ragtag family of sorts had been relaxing just after lunch. Krillin was talking with Master Roshi when Eighteen called him over, to take a look at a newscast.

Krillin's comment made Eighteen scowl. "If I remember right, quite a few of those 'natural disasters' actually turned out to be one of you being reckless." She returned. "There are even entire wastelands which have become no-go zones. Can you blame them after they learned that those 'regular natural disaster areas' were actually you people using them as training grounds?"

Krillin pouted in response. "Got me there." He grumbled. "But at least we always avoided populated places. I don't think this one was caused by us. But that won't stop everyone from blaming it on us anyway, just because they are afraid."

"I think this is the perfect time to go do something about that!" Eighteen decided. "Get off your lazy bum, we're going!"

"Go where, and do what?"

* * *

Yamcha swooped down, fished a middle-aged man out of the water and set him down on a nearby roof. He didn't even wait for the man to realise what just happened and thank him, but just flew off again, looking for the next person in trouble.

At least there was an up-side to this whole Golden God business. He didn't have to hide his abilities anymore. No more 'trickery' and scornful looks, or having to watch things unfold from the side-lines, knowing that if he stepped if he would only be met with suspicion and ungratefulness.

Or to redirect some hurricane or slow down a volcanic eruption from the shadows as if he were some kind of criminal.

There were people in need, and he could help them in the open. And it felt good.

He looked down when he noticed a familiar energy nearby. He promptly flew over and saw someone descending to a small raft, where a woman sat and waved to be picked up.

"Krillin!" He yelled. "You came to help as well?"

"I guess you could say that. Actually, it was Eighteen's idea." The smaller man confessed and pointed over his shoulder. In the distance was where the android was busy breaking open a roof, to let people out who were trapped in their own attics. It was a bit surreal for the retired martial artist to see the former death machine helping people, but it just went to show that people could change.

"Well, you're welcome to join in anyway." Yamcha shrugged. "What about Marron?"

"Excuse me." The woman in Krillin's arms spoke up. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but could you please let me down? I have a fear of heights."

"Ah? Sure." Krillin set the woman down on a small hill, where a lot of other people were gathered, and who welcomed their neighbour.

"I don't think the water is going to rise more." Krillin said to the group. "I'll let the rescue team know you're here, so just hold out for a little bit."

"Bless you, young man." An elderly man said to him as he bowed slightly.

"You're welcome." He grinned, and the two took off back towards Yamcha. "You know, I can get used to this." He said.

"That makes two of us." Yamcha added. He let his gaze wander below. The water was reaching halfway on the second floor, meaning the only thing visible was just a bunch of roofs, the occasional tree, and a few hills where most of the people had gathered.

Despite it being called a disaster, the people were actually fairly calm about the whole thing. But it wasn't like all the water got here at once. Levels had been rising slowly for a few hours now, meaning they actually had plenty of time to get their stuff and get to safety.

Unfortunately, some people choose their attics, and now with the water levels over two stories high, they only trapped themselves in.

Unless someone broke the roof open, that is. Which is what Yamcha and Krillin were spending most of their time doing. Eighteen, who couldn't sense energy, resorted to mostly floating around where people could see her and call out, or taking over whoever Krillin pushed into her arms whenever he wanted to go and pick up someone else in the meantime.

Up until Krillin passed her something dripping and furry.

"That's a pet dog." She complained.

"Dogs want to live too, you know?" He argued, carrying a second dog in his other arm.

"Let's just put them down already." She gave in. "I swear, my clothes are going to smell like wet dog all day."

"This was all your idea." Krillin replied, which earned him a grunt in response. "Besides, I think we're about to have a little more help." He added, looking into the distance.

And sure enough, a few seconds later two figures appeared in the sky.

"Hey." Tien greeted them as he and Chiaotzu became level with them. "We overheard there were flying people helping out, so we came to help as well."

"That's great!" Yamcha yelled over. "You guys take that side, and we'll start over here."

"It'll take forever like this." Eighteen gave her opinion. "I'll be right back." She threw over her shoulder and flew off into the sky.

* * *

"Welcome." The presenter said to the other. In the background were a couple of flooded houses, as well as jets and copters flying about, to pick up people and evacuate them.

"Thank you for giving us a few moments of your time." The presenter continued. "This here is the man who oversees the whole operation. Let's cut to the chase here, how are things going?"

"Quite well, circumstances considered." The other replied. "The water only rose slowly, so there wasn't any widespread panic, though we do have some reports of beds floating around, some with people still on them." He explained quickly.

"Like this particular picture." The presenter held up a piece of paper for the camera to see. On it was a large wooden bed floating on the water, two guys in jeans and tank tops on it, waving at the camera, and a cradle of beer in between them. "This was taken just an hour ago. It looks more like a vacation picture, doesn't it?"

"I think it shows the calm and laid-back reaction of the locals." The other replied. "As I said before, this isn't that much of an emergency. The biggest task is getting everyone out before the low tide starts and drags everything out to open water."

"I see. But what about those rumours flying around of people, well, flying around?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny that. There are some sightings in places we haven't been able to cover yet, but we don't know for sure if they are really involved, and how much. Even if… hang on, what's that?" He stopped and pointed up.

"Hey." The presenter heard a voice. He looked behind and up to see a blonde woman floating not far from them. "Are you the one in charge here?" She asked.

"Yes, I am." The guy replied. "Is there something you need?"

"There is a lot of people trapped way out." She said, pointing over her shoulder.

"There are a lot of people trapped everywhere." The man replied. "We are moving as fast as we can, but there is just too much ground to cover."

"In that case, mind if I use that bridge?" She then asked, pointing to a nearby viaduct.

"Be my guest." He said. "By the way, who are you?"

"I'm Eighteen." She said and promptly flew off.

"Can't confirm or deny, hm?" The interviewer asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I do not have official…" The rest of his sentence was lost in the sound of cracking stone. The two turned to the bridge behind them. The pillars were shattered, the entire piece had been torn off and was now being carried into the distance.

"When she asked if she could use the bridge, I didn't think she'd actually take it with her." The mayor said just loudly enough to be picked up by the microphones. Then he made a large sigh, crumbled up the paper of statements he had been using and threw it over his shoulder. "I don't know why, but people with powers have been helping, and everyone involved has been very grateful for that." He then said.

"Aren't they the cause of this?" The presenter wanted to know.

"There is no reason to believe they are. Now, if you would excuse me, I have things to do."

* * *

Krillin set down glasses of beer for Tien, Yamcha, Master Roshi and himself. After having evacuated a large part of the flooded area, and some very profound thanking, the four retreated to the little island.

"You know, that felt pretty good." Yamcha admitted. "I might actually pick up my training again."

"Now that would be a shock." Krillin joked. "And here I was wondering how to make you come back. And all it took was an earth-shattering revelation."

"Usually people go into hiding for things like this." Tien added.

"Yeah, but Yamcha here has always been a special case." Krillin jested, earning him a bit of glare from the other.

"I think I can get used to this." Tien got back on topic. "It actually feels nice not to have to hide anymore."

"And we can help people openly." Yamcha added. "Though I could do without getting kicked off the baseball team for 'cheating'."

"You _were_ cheating." Krillin reminded him. "People finally figured out how you became the wonder-all-star."

"That had nothing to do with energy, I am just talented at baseball." Yamcha defended himself.

"Sure you were." The other teased him some more. Ah, it was good to have the gang back together for once. And for once without the threat of the imminent destruction of the planet hanging over their heads.

And their little action had made a few waves. Though most reporters were repeating on how they must be involved, or something like that, this obviously wasn't their own opinion. They also spoke of the gratitude of the people to the three men and the eighteen-year-old woman.

Besides misunderstanding her name, Eighteen had left an impression herself. Up until now, it had been only men who appeared with these superpowers. So, as the first female user, she got very popular, especially with the younger girls.

Sure, the media was blowing her part out of proportions, but that is what media does.

* * *

Two people were walking the streets of Satan City. One blonde and one blonde dyed brown. Yeah, Erasa had made the mental note to rinse that stuff out of her hair, but she hadn't gotten around to it yet.

They were looking for a place to stay. Or rather, to buy a place to sleep. They couldn't keep renting hotels. So they decided to look for a tent or something like that. One night in the car was all Erasa could tolerate. An actual capsule house was way out of their budget, but they wouldn't need one either since it was only temporarily.

Erasa thought back. Yeah, it was pretty much her fault they didn't have a place to stay anymore, she knew that much. It was why she didn't bring it up with Krillin and wasn't going to bring it up with Gohan.

She bit her lip. _'I just had to go and be stubborn, didn't I?'_ She berated herself. _'Couldn't just keep my mouth shut, could I? What am I going to do now? What will mom and dad say? Will they be angry?'_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud whistle, come from rather close up. Very close up.

Annoyed, Erasa looked up and saw Sharpner waving at three scarcely clad young women just across the street.

"Looking good!" He yelled over.

"Wish we could say the same about you!" One of the girls yelled back.

"Just gimme ten minutes to talk my face away!" He called suggestively.

Erasa decided to give him a prod in the side. At least the girls were laughing at him as well, so that was something, but it still didn't really settle well with her.

"Sorry, but we don't have the time!" The girl yelled back. And then another let out a high pitched scream. "Hey, you're Sharpner, Gohan's friend!"

"He is?" Another asked. "Oh dear Kami, he is!"

Erasa felt a sudden worry flash through her. But the girls didn't address her, they just ran straight past her to Sharpner.

"Are you really friends with Gohan?" One of the girls asked the guy, standing on her toes and leaning in so far she nearly kissed.

"Sort of, yeah." Sharpner replied. "We haven't talked much with all this going on though."

"Is he really as hot in person as he looks on TV?"

"I'm a straight guy, I wouldn't know." Sharpner replied with a slight grin. "I'm more into the sight right in front of me." He added, earning him a bit of a flush from the assaulting women.

Erasa wasn't sure if she should feel relieved or not. Sure, they weren't hostile, but fans like these weren't much better either.

"But where is Erasa?" One of the girls asked all of a sudden. "Did you two really split up?"

"Erasa's fine, don't worry about her."

"Sharpner." Erasa called from behind the trio. "We have places to be, remember?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming." He waved back. "Sorry ladies, but I've got things to do. Maybe next time we could get a little… get to know each other a little more?" He added the last part with a heavy suggestive tone.

And that earning him some more happy blushes. And one of the girls pulled out a sheet of paper, and promptly wrote a number on it, the other two doing the same before it passed to Sharpner.

"Call us." She said. "And don't make us wait, that's rude."

"We'll see." He promised and made a few quick steps to walk up to Erasa.

"You do realise they just want to get to Gohan, right?" She asked apprehensively.

"I'm not sure." He hesitated.

"I am." Erasa replied.

"Oh, come on." He reached over and gently gave a small squeeze in her butt, which made her hop and yelp slightly.

"Don't do that!" She ordered in her sternest voice. "I swear, you've suddenly become three years younger or something."

"Hey, I'm seventeen, I'm allowed to do stupid shit." He protested.

"Not sure about the allowed part, but you sure succeeded on the stupid part." Erasa made fun of him. "I swear, randomly deciding to flirt with some random girls." She complained some more.

"Flirt?" He repeated, acting outraged. "If I got the chance, I'd be tapping that so hard whoever pulled me out again would be crowned king."

It made Erasa snag him by the cheek. " **Will** you **behave** already?"

"Yes, _mom_." He replied, still laughing.

Erasa scowled, but on the inside, she was a little relieved. This was the Sharpner she knew, who loved a good-natured flirt every now and again, and would never pass up a chance to tease her a little.

* * *

Just past the edge of Golden City a little wooden structure had been set up. It mostly looked like an oversized doghouse. In front of it were the remains of a rather small dinner. It was enough though.

At first the two of them wanted to leave for Gohan's home, but then thought the better of it. There were dinosaurs in those mountains, big ones. Not to mention they would arrive way late and didn't want to impose themselves for the night or something like that. Plus they didn't know exactly where he lived. "439 Mountain Area" was all they had to go off of.

But now dinner had been had, and it was going to take a while before the evening would start to set in. So much time, so little to do. No computers, no TV, no radio even, not counting the one in the car.

Well, they did have something. Erasa remembered Sharpner making a certain promise. To teach her how to defend herself.

Sharpner wasn't exactly in a teaching mood, but Erasa won that argument, mostly by asking what else he had planned for today. So martial arts it was.

Erasa had decided to trade her usual green tube top for a black sports bra. No shirt or anything, just that.

Sharpner kept with the bare basics. Erasa just wanted to be able to defend herself, she wasn't after winning any competitions or anything, so he kept it fairly simple. He taught her a couple of pressure points, which he regretted almost immediately since he was her only test subject, and moved on to breaking free from strangle and grappling holds.

Of course, since it was just the two of them, and these were holds, he pretty much had to use a hands-on teaching method. Surprisingly for Sharpner, Erasa seemed to have no trouble with that. It made him feel a little fuzzy inside, and also a little conflicted.

Sure, Erasa didn't seem to mind him being a bit intimate with her, and he didn't exactly dislike it either. But that was what was bothering him. The lack of discomfort. Weren't the two of them getting a little too close?

Now, a few hours later, the sun had set, and they were far enough from the city for it to be really dark now.

Sure, they were teenagers and would have loved to stay up till past midnight, but without light to do stuff by it gets old quickly.

It must have been nearing midnight now. Sharpner was laying on his side, on his left side, his back to Erasa, still wide awake. Sure, going to bed might have sounded nice when he was dying of boredom, but it wasn't like he was particularly tired. He, quite predictably, couldn't sleep. Not at all helped by having so many things on his head.

Most of them were about Videl. He wondered how she was doing. Krillin had mentioned she was searching for her identity, whatever that meant. The guy knew where Videl was but didn't share anything.

Well, at least now he knew she was safe. It was a big relief. Gohan had not mentioned Videl at all so far. Did the guy even know where she was?

Well, probably, since Krillin was an associate of Gohan's. And Videl was a friend of Gohan's as well, so the guy probably knew. So why wouldn't he tell the two of them? Did he forget?

The thought made Sharpner smile slightly.

Looked like even the Golden God wasn't omniscient. Don't tell the extremists though. Which reminded him, he still had to tell his parents the house was thrashed. And Erasa's place as well.

Both homes were gone. They had officially nowhere to go back to. He wondered where they were going to sleep next time. Erasa had said she didn't mind, but that actually just made him feel even more pressured. Perhaps they could pitch their hut somewhere near Gohan's? Or should they just give up and join their parents at their places? It wasn't like they have been doing all that well by themselves anyway.

Maybe he should have stayed with the Cranes? But then, Erasa would still be alone.

No, this was definitely better!

He sighed and drew his blanket a little higher. The night was surprisingly cold.

He felt the blanket shift slightly on his back, letting the cold air in. "Hey, Sharpner." Erasa called him in a whisper. Clearly, she was awake as well.

"YeaiiiIIII!" His pitch rose in the middle there, and thanks to something freezing touching his lower back. It made him shiver and jet upright as well.

"My feet are cold."

"I noticed!" He pushed her legs aside, wrapped himself in his blanket and plummeted back on the mattress. "Don't do that!"

"Grumpy much?" She complained, turning on her side as well.

"Excuse me, I'm trying to sleep here!"

No reply. He just turned his back to her again and tried to sleep. It didn't work that well. Probably because of that tense feeling under his stomach. Not at all helped by feeling a bit guilty for blowing up like that.

It was quiet for a little while. "Hey, Sharpy." Erasa then broke it by whispering.

"What?" He asked, half annoyed, and half relieved she was still talking to him.

"Are you angry?" She asked. Despite speaking softly, he could clearly hear her choke up a little.

"No, I'm not angry, I'm just trying to sleep." He decided to reply.

He heard her turn around. "Do you hate it when I touch you? I thought you didn't mind." She asked softly.

What kind of question was that? Sharpner was quiet, his mind needing a few seconds to realise that she really did just ask that. And then he started wondering where that question came from. Why would she want to touch him?

Meanwhile, he became aware of Erasa's breath in his neck. She was still waiting for an answer.

"Of course not." He replied evenly. Something had started to eat away at his mind. Doubt, and guilt.

"Really?" She sounded a little optimistic that time.

Sharpner decided to turn around to face her. Not that it mattered in the dark, but it was the thought that counted. "I don't really like it, but I don't dislike it either." He lied.

"Oh." She let out a small sigh. "I see."

"What about you?" He then decided to ask.

"I don't know." She replied.

"It's ok, you can be honest with me." He tried.

"I don't know." She repeated. "I don't know what I feel anymore."

That wasn't the first time she said that. And last time it was about him touching her as well. Ok, that one was a little more inappropriate, but it was similar. Perhaps she was conflicted as well? Perhaps this was a good time to try and talk? Which was, he realised, what she was trying to do.

Having made up his mind, he reached out and took her shoulder. "Were you uncomfortable with me this evening?" He asked, feeling just a little worried.

"No." She replied. "But that's different. That's…" She hesitated and placed a hand over his. He felt her take a deep breath. "I know it's a bit random, but do you think something has changed between us?" She asked.

"Like what?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"Like us." She said immediately. "We. Our friendship. Do you think it is different now?"

"Yes, things have changed." He replied. "Of course they have, everything has changed."

In response, he got his hand knocked back. "That's not what I meant!" She stated.

"We're still friends, aren't we?" He asked defensively. "That hasn't changed."

"No, but… I…" She hesitated.

Sharpner felt a sudden worry. They hadn't changed, had they?

"We're about to go meet Gohan." She started. "And probably ask for training. I just want to know where I stand with you. It's… important to me."

He took a deep breath. For a few moments, he had worried she was about to say something ground-breaking, this being about their friendship changing and all. "Are you nervous?" He asked.

"A little." Erasa admitted. "Are you?"

"A lot." He chuckled slightly to himself. "But I think we changed. I mean, we're here, in a small hut, and we've shared a bed a few times. I know we'd never go _that_ way, but still, I don't think that would have happened if all of this hadn't happened." He started rambling. He sure hoped it made sense to her because he himself couldn't make much sense out of that.

"What wouldn't have happened?" She asked him.

"We'd never have slept in one bed, for one." He replied. "I mean, it's not like I'd push you away, but well, I wouldn't do that for a guy either, so… yeah…"

"You mean if I were a guy you wouldn't have let me stay?" She wanted to know.

"Of course, but just not… the same way." He stammered. "I… you are one of my two closest friends, I care a lot about you. But if this hadn't happened, I would never have considered… well… us sleeping in one bed."

"I would." She replied.

"You…" He was pretty much frozen in shock.

"I've always known I'd have no trouble with, well, this." She said and put a hand against his chest. "I trust you, and I knew you'd support me. I just…" She dropped her voice, speaking so softly it was barely audible. "I never thought I'd actually like it this much." She then confessed.

"You like it?" He asked.

"Not in… I just feel safe." She changed her mind midway. "When I was feeling weak, you hugged me, and… well, I didn't feel less weak, but I felt safe and calm."

"You feel safe?" He repeated. He was glad to hear it, and yet, not.

"What about you?" She then asked. "What do you feel when we hug?"

Overwhelmed by the sudden question, Sharpner turned on his back, to reflect on himself a little. He hardly ever thought about that. And never actually tried to put it into words.

Erasa was patiently waiting for her answer. She knew Sharpner through and through and knew he'd have a bit of trouble answering that one. She just hoped he would answer it. She needed to know.

"Warm, I suppose." He then replied. Erasa could barely repress her disappointed reply.

"Just warm?" She asked evenly.

"Not literally." He then continued. "Like, a different kind of warm."

Ok, he was getting somewhere now. So she didn't interrupt.

"Like, it makes me want to protect you."

"Protect me?" She repeated. "I know I'm not exactly the strongest, but come on, I'm not a little kid!"

"I know that." He replied. "But I just feel… trusted, and it makes me want to live up to that."

Erasa actually chuckled softly at that one. It just fit so well, and yet she hadn't thought of that. Of course, he'd feel protective of her, that's why she went to him in the first place. She felt safe, and he felt protective.

"It's not funny." Sharpner protested at her laugh.

"I'm just laughing at myself for being so stupid." She replied. And scooted a little closer, wanting to put her head on his shoulder, and let herself fade away in his embrace.

But he actually pushed her back.

"I don't think we should." He said.

"Why not?" She wanted to know. "I don't mind. Do you dislike it?"

"No, but… you're pinning for Gohan, and I'm going after Videl." He told her. "I don't think we should keep doing this. It's a lot more than what 'just friends' would be doing."

That actually made Erasa back off a little, and reconsider. Sure, she didn't mind, but anyone seeing them would start getting ideas. Besides, he was right. She did want to get together with Gohan. But his touch just didn't feel the same way.

"Just friends." She repeated, comparing the two. If anything, it was Gohan she was more 'just friends' with rather than Sharpner. "Do you think we crossed the line?" She voiced her worry.

"Depends." Sharpner shrugged in that infuriating indifference of his. "I bet some folks would consider us even talking to each other crossing the line."

"Yeah, but I don't care what they think!" She snapped at him.

"I think we've been pushing it pretty far." He then said. "I think it's better if you tried that with Gohan, rather than me."

"He's not here." Erasa retorted.

"We'll see him tomorrow." Sharpner replied.

"But… it's not the same." She confessed. "I just don't feel the same. I just don't feel safe the same way."

"What?" She heard him get up. It was pitch dark here, so she still couldn't see a thing. "You don't?"

"I just don't." She repeated. "I don't know why I just don't."

He let himself fall down again with a heavy sigh. "Just great." He mumbled to himself. "Maybe that's because you actually hardly know him. I mean, we just met Gohan a few weeks ago, while we have been friends since elementary school. Maybe that's why?"

"I guess." She sighed. This was all just so confusing and messed up.

She took a deep breath. "Thank you." She then said. "For sharing yourself with me. It means a lot to me."

She wanted to turn around, to have another go at trying to sleep but was actually shocked when she felt Sharpner's arm around her waist, and draw her towards himself.

"Come here." He sighed. "One more time isn't going to matter now."

Erasa disagreed, but she wasn't about to protest. Feeling herself blush, she let him spoon her a little. She thought about Gohan. Sharpner had a point there, she did just meet him. What she needed was time. And then, perhaps, he'd make her feel the same way?

Erasa certainly hoped so.

* * *

 **End of Chapter**

* * *

Phew, this chapter was pretty hard to plot out.

I think I actually spent the most time on this chapter than on any other. Then again, a large part of that time was on the part that ended up being the next chapter.

That said, I can't promise when the next chapter will be. I suspect my life getting a bit busier now, and I like being a bit ahead with my writing (as I've probably said many times before already) to better deal with plot holes and such.

I thank MrChuckMan for beta-reading, and helping me improve and plot out my story

And I thank Thundershadow5 for beta-reading as well.


	15. Chapter 15, Fall

A/N: Another chapter. Yeay. It's been a while, hasn't it? Way longer than I planned.

Also, happy one year anniversary to me. (Though it was a while ago.)

This fanfic is now over a year old.

One full year.

Where has the time gone? And my free time in particular?

Oh well, I hope it will live up to expectations.

 **To the people complaining about Erasa and Sharpner:** Yeah, I admit, they do distract a bit more from the story than I originally intended. But I've listed them as main characters alongside Videl and Gohan for a reason.

And many people have expressed their love for that part (seriously, thank you all for your support :D), so I guess it's just a matter of how invested one is in them, and personal taste.

As for them distracting from the story, well…

 **To Tellemicus Sundance:** The two of them are (finally) on their way to Gohan's. Unfortunately, the pace of this story makes molasses look like a running river.

So, it'll be the next beat on **their** story. When that happens, I can't promise.

I swear, I'm not doing this on purpose.

 **To Warlord Gohan 2:** Thank you for the positive feedback. It's always such a joy to read what people like about this story. It really motivates this writer.

Same goes for everyone else who took the time to leave me a review. Thank you all.

 **About Gohan, and there being little of him in this story:** I've noticed myself as well, but unfortunately, even though I also kinda want to see him doing more stuff, there isn't much for him to do yet. Well, nothing that wouldn't make him OOC, or heavily disrupt the story.

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

 **Fall**

* * *

Videl was sitting on her cloud, trying to find a signal with her little battery powered radio. It crackled and popped, but that's not what she was looking for. This radio was her only connection to the rest of the world. It was always a one-sided connection, but that's all she could have.

The clouds below her flashed white before a deafening crack flooded her ears with the roar of thunder. The radio squealed with a high pitch ring as all signals were replaced with the electrical waves of the storm. Huffing in annoyance, she flipped the power switch and threw the radio down at the golden cloud. Her eyes widened in worry before she realised that the radio was indeed being held safely in place by the cloud.

She let herself fall back onto the cloud so that she was looking up at the blue sky. It was a bit surreal to hear thunder and see lightning, yet feel no rain, just the sunlight. It just added to the beauty of nature. From her viewpoint, the storm was just white clouds moving and twisting far below her.

She blessed her decision to fly above it after all. Up here she was dry and relatively warm.

If only she could get her damned radio to work. After fleeing from the last town, she had a lot on her mind. Thoughts she would rather not have. Chased out like some criminal. No not even that, like some dangerous animal. _'Why do I have to run?'_ She asked herself.

Again, more out of frustration at her situation than the thing itself, she bashed the radio. It clicked back to life but still only gave her static, with hits of music thrown in occasionally. She was simply too high up. There was no signal here.

So, she turned it off once more and sighed. Another flash went off below her, followed by a thunderous echo. It was the only sound up here. There was nothing else. No wind, no birds…

No people. She was alone.

Videl looked up at the crystal-clear sky. Where was everyone? How were they doing? How was her father doing? She had not heard from him since the call, only caught bits and pieces, just enough to know something had happened but had no idea what.

Was he even still al… around?

And what about her two 'friends'? Were they even still friends? Aside from her father, they were the people she had been the closest to. She hoped they were not harassed for it, even if they had denounced her.

Why did they do that? Did she really mean that little to them?

She drew in her legs, hugging them with her arms, and buried her face in them.

And Gohan.

For what she was sure would not be the last time her mind went back to the boy. The image resurfaced before her eyes. That time he arrived to save her, so full of rage. And afterwards, when he had nothing but kindness and concern.

How she wanted to see him again. If only to apologise. Even after he had saved her, brought her to a safe place, and even shared some of his knowledge of energy with her, she never even thought of apologise to him.

She had mistreated him so many times. So many times he would have been justified to leave her to rot. She would have left her. But he didn't. She was ashamed that her heart seemed to want so much more from him. "Gohan, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

With her face covered and her mind lost in thought, she failed to notice the small figure that had begun stalking her from the clouds.

* * *

Bulma sipped from her cup of coffee. It wasn't nearly as strong as she would have liked. She was sitting at her table. On the other end this nutcase was ranting on and on about why Gohan was the embodiment of evil and had to be either put in a lab to be studied or put down.

It was in one of the many rooms in Capsule Corp, ironically the last time she was here was when she had a word with Hercule Satan.

How did she get herself into this? Just this morning someone showed up to accuse her of being in cohorts of the Golden God, which shocked absolutely no one. Bulma hadn't exactly been trying to hide that little fact. She figured the only reason she hadn't been questioned sooner was because she was already known to be intimidating towards the media. Plus no one wanted an angry golden god breathing down their necks. News broke earlier that the homes of those two friends of his were destroyed, and there was damn near a manhunt for the individuals responsible.

It would seem that the shareholders got wind of her association with Gohan as well, and along came this piece of work. Oh boy, he did not disappoint. Some kind of aristocrat, with lots of money to his name. Bulma had met him many times in meetings and such, but for the life of her couldn't remember his actual name. People like him were something of an unavoidable fact of life. She met a lot of people and couldn't remember everyone's name. Though in this case, it may have been intentional.

Now this guy was trying to prove Gohan was not a god. He was right - even if he didn't know it himself, but his reasoning was completely wrong. At least he had the courtesy of requesting a private discussion, rather than drag it out through the media, which was something.

"At least Hercule gave to the poor, and used his money to help those in need. Meanwhile Gohan just sits on his money." The man moved on to his next argument before she could respond. "What has Gohan ever done for the world, hm?" He pulled up one eyebrow as if daring Bulma to prove him wrong.

"Gohan just got that money, and he only has the sum, no actual income." She replied calmly. Though she did wonder how that got out. As far as she knew it was handled behind closed doors. "That argument literally relies on everyone ignoring that the money donated to 'the savior of the world' was rightfully Gohan's to begin with. I know he gave a lot of money to charity, but I believe it was mostly out of guilt. It's easy to give away money that shouldn't be yours. Besides, are you really suggesting that Hercule donating money to charity means that he contributes more to society than Gohan does?"

"I did not say that." The man replied.

"And another thing." Bulma wasn't done yet. "While Hercule donated to charity, Gohan faced down a genocidal maniac. At the age of eleven he was forced into a life or death grudge match with the fate of the world at stake. And it wasn't even the first time his family had to go through that. What has Gohan done for us? Ask any random worshipper, and they'll give you a list."

"But he could have done _so much more_." The man argued. "Those people who helped during the flood proved that. He could have come out ages ago, and help make the world better."

"You don't count stopping Cell as making the world better?"

"I did not say that." The man repeated.

"Then what do you say?" Bulma became irritated at his roundabout talking. "Because you're talking on and on, and I have yet to hear anything reasonable."

The man furrowed his eyebrows in anger, but whatever sharp reply he had, he swallowed it. Vegeta may not be in the room, but he had made an appearance before the talk and gave a rather unsubtle reminder that he would be watching, and would not tolerate any disrespect.

Did Bulma abuse that little fact? Yes. But this man was asking for it.

That said, she'd rather that not be necessary. Things tended to get… complicated when Vegeta gets involved. Plus the stakes were higher now. If he were to get involved, then he would certainly be recognized as the fighters at the cell games. Somehow the public still hadn't made that connection.

Or they had, and they just knew better than to say anything. Hard to say these days. On other hand, Bulma had always made a point of keeping business and private separate. And even when Trunks went out on live TV, he had the sense to remain transformed and not to say his name. A good call, especially for an eight-year-old kid.

Bulma was pretty sure Trunks had not been recognised since there was a lot public speculation going on about that one, the most common theory being that he was Gohan's brother. The second theory was that he was Gohan's son. Those people clearly had not been paying attention to either of their ages.

Or just ignored that discrepancy. People tend to ignore facts that they don't like.

Take this guy for example. He was still thinking of a reply.

"Well, I want Gohan to contribute to our society." He then stated carefully. "We all have to do our part, so why wouldn't he? If he wants to be a part of this world, he will have to follow our rules."

"Part of our world?" Bulma repeated. "More like, wishes to grace us with his presence."

"And what is that supposed to mean? Do you think his presence is some kind of blessing?"

"Since you seem to be so dense, I'll spell it out for you. Gohan doesn't need the world, it is humanity that needs Gohan." She stated harshly. And regretted it instantly. No, she was wrong, and she knew it. This went directly against what Gohan himself had said earlier, in his interview with King Furry.

" _Before I revealed myself, the world had an unprecedented era of worldwide peace and prosperity. You don't need us, humanity is perfectly capable of looking after itself."_

"Oh, really." And there it was, that sly smile that did not bode well. "Your would-be god seems to disagree with that himself."

"That's different." She replied, just to give herself a little more time to think. "Gohan was talking about people with superpowers having to police the world." She continued. Yes, that was it. "I'm talking about protecting the world of threats of Gohan's calibre. Unless, of course, you think that Gohan isn't as powerful as he is made out to be."

She smiled slightly at herself for that last one. As weird as it sounded, Gohan was actually even more powerful than his worshippers claimed.

After all, the power Gohan showed was just raw, unfocused energy, and he wasn't even going near full throttle.

When he wields and focuses his full power, he's in a completely different league. At least, if Vegeta was any measure to go by. And Bulma was pretty sure Vegeta had surpassed Gohan. Gohan himself even admitted someone was stronger than him, and there weren't a whole lot of candidates for that position.

She could barely repress a smile of pride.

"Well?" The man asked, raising his eyebrows. He had obviously just asked a question.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She nearly shot colour in embarrassment. "I was a little distracted for a moment there."

"Really, you ask me a question, and then you don't even listen to me when I reply?" He asked, a clear irritation in his voice. To be fair, that was pretty rude of her.

"I'm sorry, I've been having a lot on my mind lately." She smiled slightly. That was an understatement. But this guy was sent by the investors, so pissing him off might not be such a good idea.

"I said, whether or not that was Gohan's full power is irrelevant, because it is not his strength I question, it is his position."

Bulma blinked. Wow, she had to admit, that was actually pretty solid.

"So I asked." The man continued. "Do you think it is fine for him to have all that power, and then just stand back and watch?"

"Why not?" She replied, having regained his bearings a little. "It is his power, why should he? He owes the world nothing."

"He lives in this world." The man continued. "That makes him a member of this world. And that means he has to conform to our laws."

"This isn't about that, is it?" Bulma questioned. "What you want is for Gohan to use his powers do whatever you want him to do."

"Of course." The man nodded. "We all have our obligations, and Gohan is no different."

Bulma took a deep breath. As much as she had told herself not to say Gohan was a deity, nor say he wasn't either. She really felt the urge to point out his alien blood, if only to simplify things. But she knew that it definitely wouldn't.

"What about you?" She returned. "It's awfully hypocritical of you to claim that Gohan should be condemned because he is not constantly using his power for the greater good, but don't you have a lot of money? I'm pretty sure that could have more noble uses than just sitting in your account, couldn't it?"

"Says the richest woman in the world." He shot back.

"I am not the one sitting there and making those claims, you are." She pointed out. "So, why aren't you?"

"Why would I?" He returned. "I worked for my money. I earned my money the hard way, unlike Mr Son, who intimidated people into giving him his."

Bulma scowled. "I would like to take this time to point out that all of that money, and more, was already Gohan's, and those people legally stole it from him." She protested. She nearly added that Gohan's power was earned through his own hard work, but that might imply too directly that his power may be attainable by anybody.

"And that makes it alright?" He did not give in. "I have a pretty long list of laws he has broken, up to and including manslaughter. And yet, instead of demanding his arrest, King Furry decorates him with medals!" Now he was really getting fired up. "He makes a travesty of our laws, of our society, of the very meaning of being Human, and people just bow and pray to him!" He slammed his hand on the table, making both coffee cups fall over and spill. "For years he did nothing! How many disasters could have been prevented if he had come out earlier? How many lives could have been saved? You can't sit there and tell me it is fine that he does nothing while there are people that he could be saving! How many people have died because of his inaction?!"

"You're not going out of your way to help people either." Bulma returned.

"I don't have powers."

"Pretty sure firemen and the likes don't have powers, but I don't see that stopping them." Bulma continued.

"Will you stop pointing to me?" He finally snapped. "This isn't about me, this is about Gohan and his inaction!"

Bulma scowled slightly. The guy could dish but clearly couldn't take. But fine, she'd play it his way. "Might I remind you that those powers have been disregarded as mere 'tricks' just a few weeks ago, and Gohan would have been scorned by the very people he was trying to save. In fact, if his run as Saiyaman was anything to go by, that's exactly what happened."

"Then you should have come out decades ago!"

"To do what? Polish your boots?" She reached the end of her patience. "You think that just because some people have powers, they should serve humanity?"

"If Gohan really is a god, let him prove me wrong!"

"Nice try, but that's not how it works." Bulma wagged a finger. "If he were a god, then he wouldn't have to do anything. Gods don't serve humans, humans serve gods, and gods grand them favours as it pleases them. And if he were not." Bulma went over to the other side of the argument, carefully choosing her words since Gohan technically wasn't human either. "Then he'd have the exact same right that all of us have. Unless you think that having those powers means he doesn't have the same rights of freedom, including freedom of choice and freedom of speech."

"That's very black and white." He back-pedalled.

"I'm sorry, but you are ignoring the root of the problem here." She decided to put her foot down. "Does Gohan have the freedom of choice, or does he not?"

"He is free to choose, but that does not mean he is free to do whatever he pleases. He has rights and duties, as does everyone else." He did not give up. "Freedom of choice is not freedom from consequences."

That… was a good point. Bulma reached out for her cup of coffee again and remembered it had just spilt and was empty. But it did give her enough time to think of a reply.

"So, does having powers automatically give him more duties than people who do not?" She questioned. "Does that somehow turn him into a trained professional who has made a certain oath?"

"No, but how hard would it be for him to become one?"

"Yeah, that's not going to fly, because we have a right to choose not to go into such a profession, as does Gohan." Bulma objected. "As for what Gohan did choose, he wanted to become a scientist. He did want to become a professional who would help people, not with his fist, but with his mind." Bulma summed up. She had been saving this one. Although, she was pretty sure Chichi was more than just a little involved in that particular goal.

Still, it was Gohan's choice, and strange as it might be, he has that freedom.

"So you're ok with him just going about killing people as he pleases?" The man crossed his legs. "Over four and a half thousand people died on one day, indirectly by his hands, and seven were killed directly. But hey, you're his buddy, so it's all fine and dandy."

And there it was, the one topic she had hoped to avoid.

"Power corrupts, Mrs Briefs." The man continued. "And this Golden God is far too powerful to be trusted. He is a man with a god-complex."

As per answer, the man got a coffee spoon flicked to his suit, giving it a brown stain.

"Who are you to sit there, and think you have to tell me who Gohan is?" She asked, now severely annoyed, angry and worried for Gohan as well. "You learned of Gohan's existence a few weeks ago, while I watched him grow for the last thirteen years. Do you think you need to lecture me?"

"Doesn't that make you biased?" He asked.

"And you are not?" She returned, having expected that one. "The only reason you even open your mouth is that you are scared of him."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You have this whole lecture ready about how Gohan is this great threat to society is because you came to the realization that he could wipe away everything you have with a flick of his wrist." Bulma started. "You got your own company going, build it from the ground up, if I remember right." Of course, she remembered right. She was going to have a hard time forgetting that part since he had spent way too long talking about himself at the beginning of their talk. "Years of work, gone in an instant. Well, you're not wrong. But unless you have done something like, I don't know, steal literal billions from under Gohan's nose, Gohan isn't the one you have to be afraid of."

"So you think it is right that he stole that money?" He asked, completely expected.

"I wished he had come to me first because that was not really a good way to go about it." Bulma neither said yes nor no. "But I suppose Gohan was just _done_ with that whole mess and wanted to get it over with. I totally would."

"Really, you're approving of this?" He now concluded. "You will just let him do whatever he wants?"

"And what do you expect me to do?" She returned. "I can only advise him, in the end, it is his call."

"Oh yes, put the fate of the world in the hands of a teenager, what could possibly go wrong? It's not like this power could go to his head or anything."

Bulma opened her mouth but thought the better of it. And a small pause fell between them. It spoke volumes.

"Does it?" The man now asked. His demeanour had gone from annoyed and angry to more than a little frightened. For all his bark, he didn't seem to actually want to be right about that part. Unfortunately, he was, a little.

"As you said, power corrupts." Bulma said softly, choosing her words carefully. "Even someone as kind and gentle as Gohan can get drunk on power. And he's not exactly an example of grace under pressure either. He has his moments of… well, calling it weakness would be weird, all things considered."

"I don't understand."

"And that is the issue here." Bulma hooked in. "You do not understand. You don't know him. You do not see him the way I do. You only see the massive concentration of power and feel afraid, or envious, or maybe angry, or just small and helpless. What you don't see is the little boy that was so shy he was hiding behind his father's leg. Or the kid that risked his own life to save a total stranger without giving it a second thought. You didn't see him when he was glowing and telling me all about the miraculous wonders that were the average days of high school."

"You are letting your sentimental memories get in the way of seeing him as the monster he has grown up to be."

"A monster?" Bulma repeated. This one struck a nerve. "Just because he is different you brand him a monster? Would a monster risk his life to save the world?! Would a monster use his own life-source to save an entire city?!" She nearly yelled. She was no longer just talking about Gohan. She had a husband, and a son, with the same abilities, with the same bloodline.

"What else would you call someone who kills seven people without a hint of remorse?"

"A lie!" She returned. "Gohan does regret what happened both of those days, you know? He came to me right after the attack on Satan City, and a week later he had to spend several hours in solitude, just to calm himself. Gohan isn't the merciless monster you're trying to paint him as!"

"He isn't the innocent boy you think he is either!" He returned. "He is dangerous!"

"Gohan is not just a walking powerhouse!" Bulma argued. "He is a person! A teenager! With his own hopes and dreams, all of which he pretty much sacrificed for the sake of Satan City!"

"Gohan is only one person." He returned calmly all of a sudden. "Those four and a half thousand people had hopes and dreams as well. They didn't want to die! They had families, loved ones, who had to bury them afterwards! There were children among them! Where is their story? Where is their justice?! Just a few days ago he asked a question. _Who gave you the right to judge in my name_? Well, I ask him this. _Who gave you the right to sacrifice those people at your whim?_ "

"Gohan did not sacrifice them!" Bulma argued. "If it were up to him, no one would have died."

"They died when Gohan blew away their jets with his winds."

"They crashed before Gohan even realized what happened." Bulma returned. "You ignore one little fact. There was a brief period between the actual start of the attack and Gohan's intervention. The entirety of Satan City is my witness here. First, they felt tired as their lives were drained away. Then not anymore, as Gohan compensated. I'll add that those further away were still left tired. Only afterwards, when the drain increased in strength in an effort to overpower Gohan, did the actual scene we all know to start."

"That is not a fact, that is just your excuse."

"Oh, then I suppose all the accounts of people surviving their crashes, who say that the winds and shaking only came afterwards were all hallucinating."

"But what about the N-Core building?" He went over on a different subject. "It collapsed under the wind and shaking and killed nearly three hundred people."

"That building had been declared structurally unsound two decades ago." Bulma happened to know. Well, she did a little digging on that one just after word of it had reached her ears. "It should not have been in use. And might I remind you that this was the only building that collapsed. The concrete was rotting. If it hadn't happened that day, it would have during some storm or something. If you want to blame someone, blame the guy who hid the reports and kept using the building anyway."

"He has been found dead in the rubble."

"I guess that makes him innocent, and you're free to blame Gohan for everything now."

"He is most certainly to blame for all the glass flying around."

"That was only at the epicentre, and no one actually died from the glass."

"The point remains, Gohan indirectly killed thousands and walks free. Even if he meant well, he acted outside of the law, and that is illegal for a reason."

"If he didn't those thousands would still have died, alongside all of the other millions that lived in the city." Bulma returned. "Get perspective!"

"That is just your word." He returned. "But this is getting nowhere, and I have better things to do than sit here and argue with you."

With that, he stood up and walked out without even bothering to give a proper goodbye.

Bulma uncrossed her legs and stood up as well. That was pretty pointless. Well, at least she got some solid points in and defused some arguments, so it was not a total loss.

* * *

Gohan was headed over Golden City. Damn, he still hadn't gotten used to that. Anyway, he was just flying over. He had spent the better part of the day in that new gravity chamber, much to Chichi's annoyance. His mother didn't like having a spacecraft in her backyard all of a sudden, and to be fair, it was a big eyesore.

It was at her urging that he decided to show his face in the city again. Remind the lowlifes that he was still around and all that. If there were any actual lowlifes left, that is. Any criminal with a brain had already left, and most good people had left as well.

He remembered looking down at the city on his first day of school. It was impressive, he was even a little daunted at just how many people were moving about down there. How was he ever supposed to fit in?

But now those busy streets were empty, and the silence had taken over. His city was a city of ghosts.

But not entirely. There were still people going about. Most in cars, but every now and again he saw some people walking down the street. Mostly in groups though.

He took a little detour to visit his old school.

Good grief, it felt weird to think of it that way. It had only been a few weeks. But so much had happened in those weeks, it felt like a long time. And either way, it indeed was his old school. He highly doubted he could come back here. Even if it hadn't been abandoned completely.

But, as painful as this was, he did see one upside. Now the common people know about his powers. Soon they will learn about energy. This will revolutionise every field of science and technology. And then, who knows?

Who is he to hold them back?

He smiled to himself. Was he being selfish? Well, maybe a little. He did very much look forward to the time where he could show his power without people fearing him, to no longer have to hide this part of himself.

As awful as this whole thing was, being able to show himself without a mask, it just felt so liberating.

Wandering about while in thought, Gohan had wandered to the track field. The place where he had jumped eight meters into the air to catch a ball, and thought that was normal.

Yeah, looking back, perhaps Videl being as suspicious of him wasn't all that strange.

He was brought out of his musings when he sensed someone in the air. A rather hostile someone he didn't recognise.

And whoever it was, they weren't alone. There were at least four people above him, one of which had clear killing intent, and was steadily rising in power.

Then a voice rang, a female one. "KIKOHO!"

The force of the technique hit him in the neck, the yellow light enveloping him, and tearing into the ground.

But Gohan had been tipped off and knew what was coming. Not that it was a threat to begin with. Still, he had time to summon an aura to protect his clothes from being damaged. When the dust settled, he stood in the middle of a deep square hole, on a small, lone, round pillar.

Only now did he look up. He wore a rather annoyed expression. Understandable for someone that had been attacked out of the blue. There were indeed four of them, wearing matching uniforms, yellow and green. Gohan recognised them immediately as Crane Students, even if they were too far away to make out the symbols on their clothes.

One of the four was being held up by a second one. This was also the one that had attempted the attack on him just now.

A small crackle came from beneath his feet, and the small, lone pillar collapsed under its own weight. But Gohan had seen enough, and casually ascended so he could come face to face with the four.

Three guys, one of whom was supporting the lone girl, who seemed to be out of breath. Not entirely unexpected, considering just how much that technique demands.

She didn't seem to want to be seen as weak, as she pushed off to fly under her own strength after only a few seconds. It kind of reminded him of Videl, who'd probably do the exact same thing in this situation, probably wearing the same annoyed face as well.

"You missed!" One of the guys said to the girl. "How could you miss, he was right in the middle of your attack?"

"I didn't miss, he just shrugged it off." The girl replied between two hard breaths.

"Great, now we have to deal with him the old fashioned way." A second guy complained. "I told you not to."

"What, afraid of him?" The girl asked him in a mocking tone, wearing the face to match.

"No, but the masters don't like the attention. Besides, we should be looking for the coward, not picking fights." He argued.

"Whatever, too late to turn back." The first guy shrugged.

Gohan was, very politely, waiting for them to finish their conversation. Every sentence they spoke was accompanied by a revelation. Their appearance here meant there really were energy users besides their little group. Their colours meant that Shen or Tao were still active somewhere. Or perhaps both were. They did speak of multiple masters.

The second guy poked the first one. "Hey, why is he just floating there?"

"Maybe he thinks he's being intimidating or something?" The girl replied to the guy.

"Is it just me, or does he look bigger than he did on TV?"

"Just you, man." The third guy finally joined the conversation. And intended to end it. "Fine, you people keep talking, I'll finish this myself! DODON!"

And just like that, the fight began. And ended. The Dodon was flung away with a simple backhand. The guy who fired flew in right afterwards, probably expecting him to dodge or block. But the guy backed off when he saw how easily his attack was pushed aside and rethought his charge.

The attacker swore loudly. "I thought he was supposed to be just raw talent with no skill." He addressed the others. Clearly, they had not done their homework. At this point, Gohan's connection to the Turtle School was blindingly obvious. Or did they think that Turtle Style was all force and no technique?

It didn't matter. The two guys held up their hands to their heads. At first, Gohan thought they were going to use Solar Flare, but then something different happened. Two men became four men.

Multi-Form. Gohan had to admit, he had not seen this one coming. These guys had to be pretty skilled to be able to use that. And Kikoho as well. But that meant that these guys had been training since before Gohan revealed his power.

That did not settle well with him.

The four attacked Gohan simultaneously, but since this technique divides one's power, and Gohan was way out of their league to begin with, the battle was short, with Gohan simply throwing them down into the ground. Using more force would be overkill, and he didn't want to hurt them if he didn't have to.

Lots of swearing, but it would seem it got the message across. Sure, the Golden God could bleed, but it wasn't going to be that easy.

"Well, well, well." The guy that had attacked him with a Dodon now smirked at Gohan. "It looks like you've actually got some bite to go with that bark. But don't think you'll get rid of us that easily. We will find that little friend of yours, and we'll show what happens to traitors. And after that, who knows, maybe it'll be our turn to be worshipped."

Gohan had no idea what that was about. Were they talking about Tien? Was Shen still salty about that? Sheesh, talk about holding a grudge.

"Come on, let's go." The girl announced, and lead by example as she flew off. The two men Gohan had just downed, who had undone their copies, shot him some nasty glares and flew off themselves.

For a moment, Gohan wondered if he should go after them, and take them in. After all, they had just proven themselves to be dangerous and committed assault, however futile it was.

Besides, Bulma was attacked by a rogue energy user. And Shen and Tao had a track record. So bringing them in would probably be a good idea.

But then what? They were energy users, they could just break out any place meant for normal humans. And he highly doubted anyone, including himself, felt much for playing prison guard.

There was another method for dealing with them, but Gohan wasn't willing to go that far. Sure, they were a potential danger, but they hadn't done anything to deserve to die.

' _But what if they would go commit some crime, and hurt people?'_ He asked himself, but then shook his head. Anyone could commit a crime, that was not a reason to go persecuting people.

Besides, if it was Tien they were after, then Gohan wasn't worried about them. Tien could take care of himself. And Chiaotzu had grown tremendously as well.

So he took off, headed yet he did not head home. He was going towards Capsule Corp. Surely, Bulma would agree with him. A third option was needed to deal with other energy users. The choices right now boiled down to letting them roam free and do as they pleased, or start executing for minor things.

* * *

Bulma set down her warm cup of coffee. Everything just had to happen today, hasn't it?

"He's on his way here." Vegeta confirmed her thoughts. That was pretty obvious. It was also obvious what Gohan wanted.

Bulma took a quick gulp, feeling the hot liquid burn her throat. She barely had the time to grab herself a new cup when someone told her that Gohan was on TV, shot from pretty far away with a potato, but it was there anyway.

This long day was about to get even longer.

Bulma took her little break while she still could, sitting on her couch, with Vegeta standing next to her, arms crossed as usual. Come to think of it, since the attack that night he had been hanging around a lot more than usual.

Bulma didn't mind. Vegeta didn't know how to be open with his feelings, so he expressed his in a different way.

Soon enough Gohan arrived and greeted them with a wave.

"Let me guess." Bulma started. "You're looking for a way to deal with energy using criminals?"

"How do you know that?" Gohan was perplexed.

"You were on live TV just now, from far away with a really shitty camera, but it counts. I saw what happened. But I'm afraid I can't help you. I don't have anything to repress or restrain energy users."

"Oh." Gohan was taken aback by the fast refusal. As well as disappointed. "What about gravity pods?" He then asked.

"Gravity pods don't remove the actual energy, so it can be damaged easily. And there wouldn't be enough of them anyway, with only me and my father able to make them." Bulma smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, but right now I'm the only person in the world who researches energy. And even if I were to take in other people, it'll take years before we can get anything done. This field isn't even in its infancy yet."

"But there has to be a better way than letting them go." Gohan argued. "And I can't just kill them either."

This earned him a scoff from Vegeta. "You let them go after they attacked you? And you wonder why the humans dislike you? They only fear you a little. You're letting them think they can control you, and get away with attacking you!"

"Then what do you think I should do?" Gohan prompted Vegeta, probably the single worst person to ask advice of.

"Get rid of this god business." He declared. "Either that or go all the way to reinforce it. Leaving everything hanging will only give you more trouble."

"As much as I hate to admit it, he's right." Bulma found herself agreeing, to her own surprise. "This uncertainty is messing everything up even more."

"In order to explain we will have to tell the truth, which is fine by me, but that also means sharing about energy." Gohan summed quickly. "And that will probably mean criminals using energy. And since we don't really have a way of dealing with them…" He didn't finish his sentence.

True, it was quite the mess this was becoming now. Those Dragon balls were starting to look more and more attractive. And not just for cleaning up. That guy from earlier, he wasn't entirely wrong. Those people did die as a result of Gohan's actions.

But people die. Fights and accidents claim lives every day. Why should those people get to be revived, while everyone else was given no such thing?

Who were they to decide who gets to live again, and who doesn't?

Bulma gave Gohan a small smile. "Well, it's not out yet. We can wait until we are ready. When the world is ready. Until then, I guess we're just going to have to come up with something."

"I guess that's going to take a while." Gohan assumed. "I'd love to help, but I don't know how much use I'll be."

"You're a scientist, or at least an aspiring one, and an energy user. I think that makes you unique." Bulma could help but remark, which was pretty successful in making Gohan go beet red in embarrassment. That kid could not take a compliment. "I'll tell you when I got something." Bulma promised him.

"Thanks a lot, Bulma." He exclaimed and zoomed out of the house.

Bulma let out a small sigh as she watched him go.

"Why did you lie to him?" Vegeta asked.

"What?" She snapped around. "I didn't lie!"

"Just because he couldn't see through it doesn't mean I can't." Vegeta felt the need to berate her. "I know you could get something invented in a much shorter time. In fact, you could have done that a long time ago. And I doubt you never thought of it yourself."

Bulma rolled her eyes but also felt a little relieved. "Fine, you're right, I don't want to invent anything that could keep energy users contained."

"Why not?"

"Because most of the people I'm friends with are energy users." She replied promptly. "Because Trunks is one." She added, a little more quietly. And then nearly whispered. "Because you are. If I make something like that, and it is used against any of you, I'd couldn't live with myself."

* * *

Bulma was pacing back and forth in her lab. She wanted to focus on her work, but she kept thinking about what had been said today. All of it, but mostly the parts where Gohan expressed his need for a better way to deal with energy using criminals.

It was true, she had to admit that. Especially after she took a glance at the tv, which was again covering the attack on Gohan at his school, and added to it that people wearing similar clothes had been spotted flying all over the world all of a sudden.

Green and Yellow. Crane Students, and a lot of them.

They didn't really do anything, but that didn't really help ease the sudden worry of the masses. Gohan's actions were very fresh in their minds, and they might as well assume these people were just as strong.

Of course, they didn't know who they were either, and might just as well assume they were part of Gohan's group as well. After all, little intervention the Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Eighteen made had quite a lot of waves. They didn't know better.

Besides, just because those energy users were wearing the colours of the Crane School didn't mean they were evil. Sure, Shen wasn't exactly Mr Nice Guy, but Tien still called himself a Crane Style Martial Artist.

And it had been a long time, Shen might have turned over a new leaf.

Or he might not. And was training assassins with a power to rival his own, that is to say, strong enough to wipe out a town with one move.

Was she really going to wait for that to happen, and only then start on working on something to stop them? In the meantime, Gohan and the others would be limited to the choice of letting them run around, killing them, or playing jailor themselves.

Bulma sighed, still pacing in her lap. This was going nowhere. After all, it was exactly that line of thinking that, in her opinion, enabled the androids to run amok when they did, Cell going unnoticed, and eventually leading to the Cell Games. Perhaps she should look into something? Just because she had it didn't mean she had to make it public or even use it.

Ok, but how? This was something completely new. Like she had told Gohan earlier, this could take years.

If she was going to come up with something for the near future, it had to be based on something she already had.

Gravity pods were out of the question, for the very reasons she told Gohan.

Energy draining wristbands, necklaces, whatever? Tempting, but no, that would be too tricky. After all, everything had energy, and one needs energy to live, so draining too much would mean death. And not draining enough would mean that eventually, the target would build up energy reserves. It had to be very precise.

And that was still ignoring the changes in energy recovery. Like, people becoming sick, or changing to a more nutritious diet.

Simple nullifiers? How is that simple? First, she had nothing to base that on, second, the exact same problem as the draining idea.

A static field in which no energy could be used? Define 'used'. Movement requires energy. Living requires energy. The same problem yet again, and that is assuming such a field could be adjusted at all and wasn't simply an 'all or nothing' concept.

No, she needed something different, she was looking at this from the wrong angle. How about, instead of trying to weaken the energy user, she needed something that would be strengthened by energy, like a cell that just became stronger the more the user tried to power up.

No, not a cell, a suit. One like Vegeta's.

Bulma jumped into her chair, grabbed herself a pen and some paper and started writing furiously.

Of course, that was it. Rather than taking away the ability to use energy, simply make the user repress it by themselves. The materials Vegeta's armour was made of, the armour she made, they were incredibly durable, yet extremely flexible, yet would shatter rather than tear when under pressure. Almost as if it becomes harder, somehow.

That was a pretty basic concept. But, perhaps, if she could somehow make the material react to energy, basically becoming more solid the more energy the user used and eventually turning so hard the user could no longer move.

Basically, the user would have to restrain themselves, just to be able to move. For a second she wondered about them being able to breathe when powered up, since no, the suit wouldn't allow that, but then, if they stayed powered up long enough for that to become a problem, then they'd lose consciousness, and as a result, the power would go down again, and they'd breathe again. No worries there.

And the possibility for it to be used on her friends or family wasn't really a problem either since she knew the maximum strength of that material was nowhere near the strength required to restrain them. Hell, she could try to make it as durable as she could without a problem.

The world's most advanced restraining jacket.

* * *

Thunderous footsteps rang through the silence of the early morning, accompanied by the occasional deafening roar, an engine pushed to its limits and screeching tires. Erasa wildly steered left and right in her attempt to avoid the trees, while Sharpner just held on for dear life, hoping they were still going fast enough to outrun the T-Rex on their heels.

He reflected that whoever said that a T Rex could only run twenty miles an hour must have been measuring a fat asthmatic one with some heavy shopping. They had no idea where they were going anymore, just away from that massive dinosaur.

At one point Sharpner had started digging through Erasa's handbag for her pepper spray, and attempted to ward off the dinosaur with that, but only pissed it off even more.

Finally, after what felt like several hours, the two managed to get some more distance, and the T-Rex seemed to have gotten the message and gave up. Only for them to realise they had gotten off course, and off the road, and were now truly lost.

Needless to say, their first attempt of getting to Gohan's place was not very successful.

* * *

Bulma stepped through the halls of Capsule Corp. She fixed her hair a little and readjusted her clothes to be a little more appropriate. It wasn't her fault she was going to go to a meeting in her casual clothes.

She once again nourished a large cup of coffee, having been busy until deep into the night, and only had a few short hours of sleep as a result.

The stockholders of Capsule Corp had called her all of a sudden, practically demanding she'd come to a business meeting. She didn't even have time to change outfits.

Luckily it was only a small walk for her, as it was in the same building. But what was going on? And why was she called so late? If everyone was here, then they must have been called sooner.

Something was up, she just knew it. And she wasn't going to rest until she found out what it was. Even if she had to set Vegeta on anyone.

Ok, maybe she wouldn't go that far, but this was really getting on her nerves. Today had been a very taxing day already.

She clutched her papers to her chest. This was the very first time the stockholders had ever made a big fuss. Capsule Corp was one of the largest and most profitable companies, with assets all around the world, in places she never even knew existed or could pronounce.

Speeding her pace up to the point of nearly running, but not actually running since that would be undignified, she went to the conference room with a heavy heart.

Bulma entered the room so quickly she nearly kicked the doors open. But something was wrong. The doors echoed as the slammed open.

The room was nearly empty.

Only a couple of men sat at the table, hands crossed, looking deadly serious. They were all in their trademark black suits, adding to the dire atmosphere.

Quietly, or as quietly as she could with her shaking legs and rapid heartbeat, Bulma took place at the head of the long table.

"What is going on?" She asked. She looked around for a little bit. At the table was the man she had argued with yesterday, who was looking back at her, but he looked rather sad and worried more than anything else.

"We're not sure." One of the other men replied. "But just a few hours ago, the stock value of Capsule Corp has plummeted."

"That's it?" She asked, her annoyance fuelled by her exhaustion. "Just a little setback? And where is everyone else?"

"Gone." The man replied darkly. "Abandoned ship. Some have bought out several other shareholders, but many have simply left. But let me show you." He pulled out a remote and pressed a button. Bulma turned around, to look at the large screen that had appeared.

It showed her a graphic of Capsule Corp's value over the last few weeks. It had a little drop compared to the start of the week, but that was not much of a surprise. There were even some gains just a few days ago, so things were looking up.

Yet, right at the end, where yesterday crossed over into today, the line plummeted into nothingness.

The screen flickered, advancing to a new video. She could see factories burning. Capsule Corporation factories. Rioters throwing bricks at any remaining glass visible on the outside, machines spiraling out of control on the inside. Fire suppression systems were failing to keep up with the flames.

"Is this some kind of joke?" She asked, turning around.

"I wish it was, ma'am, I wish it was." Another man replied. "Just yesterday, while you were busy meeting with Mr. Akita, and felt the need to associate yourself with this 'Golden God', something started circulating the web." The man summed up quickly. He had put some nasty undertones of the Golden God part, showing his severe dislike. Of course, Bulma was well aware of the opinion of the shareholders about her defending Gohan, but she didn't give a shit about that. "People have been rioting at our facilities all night. Even the staff have sabotaged the plants themselves."

"Something started circulating the web?" She asked, sceptically, still not convinced of what was going on.

"A picture." The first man said, and pressed another button, making the screen change.

The sight of it made Bulma's breath hitch in her throat. After only a few seconds she collapsed to her knees on the spot.

It was a picture of her, Vegeta and Trunks, one of the very ever made of them in public. She even recognised it, as it was one of the even fewer made with permission.

It had her in the middle, Vegeta on her left, and Trunks on her right.

Next to the edge where Vegeta stood was another picture. A much older one, also of Vegeta, standing just before the ring of the Cell Games. He was wearing the Saiyan uniform she had made at the time.

Next to that was another of Vegeta, at the same time and place, but this time his hair was a brilliant gold.

And one more next to this picture. Again much older, but she recognised it. It had Vegeta in the armour with shoulder- and hip guards, standing just before Gohan, Krillin and Piccolo, alongside Nappa.

Beneath those pictures were just two words, in bright red, _**mass murderer**_.

But that was not all. Trunks had two pictures on his side as well. One of his older counterpart from the future, also taken at the time of the Cell Games. And one made only a short time ago, from what would have been Hercule's execution, starring Trunks in his usual outfit, and his hair standing up in blonde spikes.

" _Clearly_ there is something you have not been telling us." Bulma heard one of the men's voices from what seemed to be so far away. She barely even noticed someone was talking to her, nor did she react to the rest of the people standing up and leaving the room. Her eyes were fixated on the screen, but they no longer saw it.

How could this have happened? How could her life have collapsed in on itself so suddenly?

Her greatest and most treasured secret was out on the streets.

Vegeta and Trunks had been recognised to be the same as Gohan.

And it had caused everyone to leave her company, all at once.

The company her father had built so carefully and entrusted to her had been ruined. In the span of just a few hours its shares had become worth less than toilet paper. Its infrastructure burning to the ground.

Capsule Corp was ruined.

* * *

 **End of Chapter**

* * *

Thank you for reading, and thank MrChuckMan for beta-reading.

About the man Bulma talked to, I think he represents the hardest part of writing the story, for me as a writer. Because he is not a straw man. He has solid points and depending on your point of view, he can be right as well.

And that's what makes it hard. I am really trying not to pick sides, and paint one side as bad or wrong. There is no real wrong side (besides Babidi), only different opinions and viewpoints.

And I promise in the next chapter there will be a little more Videl.


	16. Chapter 16, Rebirth

A/N: Having Capsule Corp go belly up was a calculated risk.

But boy, did I fail the math...

Me, on the morning after I uploaded ch15: "I wonder how well it has done."

(Opens mailbox, finds about 30 messages, all from this website.)

Me: "Teehee, I'm in trouble."

Ok, jokes aside, I admit I could have done the way Capsule Corp went down better. Don't misunderstand, I don't regret doing it, merely the way I did it. But it is a learning experience now.

I'd like to thank everyone who gave me their thoughts and opinions. There have been a lot this chapter. It helps me both write this story and grow as a writer.

As for this chapter, it is something that I've been looking, and working, forwards to since chapter 4. That's 12 chapters. It felt like forever.

By the way, I am trying to cut back on chapter length. Therefore is my second longest chapter yet. (Critical Failure.)

Please, leave me a message of what you did or didn't like, of what you thought was good, or could have been better, or what you think will happen next.

And, above all, enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

 **Rebirth**

* * *

Bob moved through the motions, his green and yellow outfit fluttering around his body as he went through his forms. They were so ingrained into his muscle memory that he was pretty sure he could do them in his sleep. That was the purpose of training, after all.

What was once tedious and gruelling work was now relaxing. As he moved, he dropped into something of a trance. His mind free to explore things troubling him, and process new events. Usually he wandered back to memories of his rough childhood. His father had been no friend. Yet this time, his mind went back only a few days.

That new recruit had turned traitor? The guy had barely gotten here, begging to be let in, and already chickened out. Of course, if he deserted this early, then he was never any good to begin with. But Master Shen was furious. He wanted the blonde back here. Now.

So, the Crane Students spent days looking for the new guy. Sharpner, that was his name. A buddy of the Golden God, as it turned out. How that had been overlooked was anyone's guess.

And that was probably why Shen was so angry. It turned out that the 'false god' was descendent of the Turtle School. The son of their star pupil - Son Goku - and the namesake of Son Gohan. It was known all too well that the Son family been causing problems for the crane school for decades. Perhaps even centuries, if there were even more generations of 'Son' students in the turtle school that he had yet to learn about. Their master never stopped complaining about it. He's been throwing curses around since the attack on Satan City. The day the Son family came back from the dead.

To think, the blonde twit was a friend of Son Gohan. It may as well have been a declaration of war as far as his master was concerned. Shen hated everyone remotely related to the Turtle school, even more than the Satan Style. To him, Satan Style was a nuisance to be stepped on. Turtle Style was an enemy to be eliminated.

Yes, eliminated. If he had known that joining the Crane Style would involve becoming a killer, then perhaps he wouldn't have been so eager to seek them out. Of course, he couldn't back out now. Shen didn't want his secrets to leak out. Even if this 'Sharpner' guy wasn't associated with the Turtle, he certainly signed his death warrant the moment he fled. And that guy was only a student for a single day. Just imagine what Shen and Tao would do if he decided to follow suit.

So stuck here he was. For now. It wasn't all bad. At least he didn't have to join the search, not yet having learned to fly. If he went on the search and came back without results… who knows what would happen?

While Master Tao led the hunt, Master Shen had remained here with a handful of the lower students, as well as those poor buggers who got ripped off. They were being used to do the housework. For free, one might add. And in return, Shen taught them a few tricks. A little light, a bit of flying, and he got himself some willing slaves.

Teaching them to get in contact with their energy was by far the hardest part. It could take weeks, if not months before any of them could become capable of even creating a tiny bulb of light.

And here the serious students were. The ones who actually had talent, firing Dodon Rays at each other and flying all over the place.

' _If you train diligently, you might join them one day.'_ Shen had always promised. The liar. Those people were not given the necessary training to become serious students, Shen withheld that part on purpose.

He, himself, was really lucky to have joined the ranks of the real students.

He stopped his practice for a moment and glanced over his shoulder. There was another new student, and so soon after the last one had quit. This one didn't actually come to seek them out by themselves. One of the students looking for the traitor had come back with a potential recruit.

' _You dare to come back without the Blonde Brat! Get back out there!'_ Shen was furious, at first. He had clearly instructed the search party not to return before Sharpner was found.

' _Wait! I have a new recruit. She's someone you will WANT! You need to see what she can do, master. I wouldn't have returned unless it was necessary.'_ This had given master Shen pause. After all, this wasn't one of his lesser students. To speak up to Master Shen like that was dangerous. This time it was effective. He paused and took a moment to size up the scrawny runt presented before him, and must have seen something convincing enough to open the door for consideration.

' _Very well. Why are you here, and what can you do?'_ He had asked. That time not in anger, but in his stoic tone.

He could remember her response perfectly. ' _I… I don't know... There's nowhere else, so why not here.'_ She had said. The master took but a moment to respond.

' _So you're saying that you don't have a purpose?'_ He asked.

' _That's not…'_ She had begun before she stopped herself as if considering something. _'Actually… no… I guess I don't. He said that I might have a place here..'_ She said, gesturing to the pupil that brought her.

' _Interesting.'_ His master responded. Icy and stoic as before, but now there was something else. Intrigue, maybe?

After that, Shen turned and couldn't be heard anymore. But he had pointed to some boulders and the girl, the recruit, got to work. Bob had been shocked. So strong, and so talented. Even Shen had paused for a few moments. No training, yet able to lift the huge rocks with ease and hit the poles so hard it actually shattered rather than just breaking. He could have sworn that his master almost smiled. Ultimately, the crane school took on a new serious student after all. One that might actually have the potential to become the strongest on the school.

You couldn't tell from the looks though. Meek, bowing the head all the time and avoiding eye contact. Even when Shen probed for defences and skill, there was hardly any resistance.

Talent. Shitloads of it. Actually being able to live up to that? Not so much.

But Shen went for it anyway. He claimed he could train someone to develop a new personality, but he couldn't grow actual talent or something along those lines.

So, here she was, sitting on a rock not that far away. Shen had instructed her to meditate in order to get in touch with the energy from within. Taking a break from the brutal beatdown that Master Shen and Master Tao called training.

It was a girl, a teenager even, and a pretty cute one at that. Not so tall, but clearly no stranger to working out, judging from the slight definition on her arms.

She was wearing some frilly white shirt, with pink hearts on them, and unfitting blue skin-tight pants to halfway down her shins, as well as sandals, and her short black hair pushed back by some purple headband. Cute? Yes. Sense of style? Not so much. If anything, that outfit looked more thrown together in haste.

Curiosity won out over discipline. Besides, Master Shen wasn't here right now.

He took a few quick steps, then bounded forward. Just because he couldn't fly yet didn't mean he was a slouch. He easily jumped two stories high, and with pinpoint precision, he landed on the rock the new girl was sitting on.

She had her eyes open, and thus saw him coming, so he didn't startle her.

"Hey." He sat down across her. "How's it going?"

Instead of replying right away, she eyed him for a moment. Finally, she spoke. "Can't complain." She muttered.

So much for small talk. "So I've been wondering. Where did they find you, anyway?" He got to the point. "I think you're the very first student who was picked up rather than coming here by their own choice."

"I'm not sure." She replied, looking at his shoes rather than in the eye. "I was just on my way when I was stopped."

"So how can you ride a golden cloud?" He asked eagerly. He had never even heard of something like that before.

"Well… it only works occasionally. When it lets me." She answered. "Not always though."

"Still, must be pretty up there." He tried.

"It's ok." She shut him down. Sheesh, no need to be so defensive, he was just being friendly.

"You like it here?"

"I just got here." She replied shortly.

"Well, so far?"

"It's ok."

Ok, this was getting annoying. He was starting to see why no one was bothering to talk to her.

But she was definitely strong. The lack of bruises was a clear sign of that.

"You know, when we're skilled enough and have enough stamina, Master Shen will teach us to fly." He tried to be a little upbeat. "Of course, those other guys have been taught to fly as well, but they can't really do much more than hover for a bit before they run out of energy. No stamina. But we, you and I, are different. We can expect to soar through the clouds. Of course, you already know what that's like, but I think doing it by your own power will be a pretty different feeling." He rambled on for a bit.

The girl just nodded. No reply, no eye contact, nothing. She just sat there.

"Let me give you some advice." He decided. "Stop being so passive. Master Shen doesn't like that. He doesn't have much patience, so watch yourself."

"I'll keep that in mind." She replied. Short as ever.

"Well, good luck." He decided to take his leave. Inwardly he sighed. She was never going to make the training like that. And she looked so nice and pretty too. So unlike those bossy bitches.

* * *

Something was wrong here.

She had almost been hopeful yesterday. Approached by a wandering martial artist. That event in itself wasn't terribly odd, but she was flying up above the clouds on her nimbus. He had snuck up on her, his sudden appearance scaring her enough that she fell from the cloud.

But that martial artist didn't have a nimbus, which meant that he was flying too. Exactly like Gohan had. That alone had piqued her interest. But what shocked her most was that her hard landing didn't hurt. And this seemed to impress the stranger as well.

A man clad in green and yellow. He promptly described an oasis in the desert where martial artists can develop their skills beyond what was humanly possible. She was skeptical at first, and followed cautiously.

She had landed in a courtyard, golden cloud visible for all to see, and was confronted by the 'master' of a dojo. The Crane School. He was much angrier than she envisioned. Then he seemed to calm. She was instructed to lift a few rocks and boulders. Tasks she thought to be impossible before.

Almost as soon as she was finished, a fist was in her face. Then she was on the ground with the taste of sand and blood filling her mouth.

When she had gotten herself up, she was greeted with a frown, and the annoying words _'We'll fix that.'_

Before she could even argue, the man pounced once more. That assault continued for three hours. Once Shen was finished he released her to be with the other students for dinner. She sat far off to herself and did not engage any of them. Later, they gave her a set of green and yellow clothes, which she had to wear. She was also directed towards her bedroom and the bathhouse.

Today she was 'sparring' again with the 'master'. He rushed forward, and Videl leaned slightly to avoid the impending punch. Shen simply readjusted and hit her in the stomach anyway.

It forced her to double over and made her feel like she was going to puke on the spot. Her breath was fast and ragged, and her limbs hurt all over from the constant blocking. Training? Getting beaten to a pulp was more like it.

"You're not focusing!" He berated her. "You're not even trying! You have such potential, but you refuse to use it!" He aimed a kick at her head at the end of his sentence.

Videl, barely able to keep herself moving, tried to block but was too late. It hit her right in the side of her head, making her fall down on the ground once again.

"I swear, I will turn you into a proper warrior, even if it is the last thing I will do!" Master Shen snarled as he watched her crawl back to her feet.

She merely bit her lip. _'Why is he doing this?'_ She asked herself, not for the first time. _'This isn't how you're supposed to train.'_

A memory of Gohan flashed through her mind. The gentle way he corrected her and encouraged her. And Korin, who was doing the same thing while she charged for the water. She hadn't even realized that he was doing it until she had stopped. Even her training with her father, though far less soft, was still worlds apart from this.

"Up!" Shen snarled at her, kicking her in the side once again. "I swear, it's because you've got such promise, or I would have put you down already!"

Her blood ran cold at the threat. Slowly, she got back on her feet. She was wobbling from side to side and felt the fear flowing through her veins. Would Shen actually kill her if she failed? He had told her to defend herself. How was she supposed to do that? She didn't know what to do right now, she didn't know how to properly use her energy. She didn't have a place to call her own. She was hoping that they could fix all of that. And instead, they're going to kill her? It was the same here as it is everywhere else.

Videl brought up her arms, purposely leaving her abdomen exposed again. A punch sailed underneath her block, once again making contact with her belly. Anticipating the pain, she couldn't help but tense her muscles to soften the blow.

Though this time the blow didn't seem near as hard. Sure, she was shoved back for a bit, but it didn't hurt at all.

"That's more like it." Shen was still scowling at her. He swung again, this time at her face. She saw the punch coming. It was a hook, easy to avoid, yet…

She put up her forearm, catching the fist. The force made her feet slip back once again, but it didn't go through. Her arm wasn't blown against her own face as she had expected.

She blinked in surprise.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" He commented. "You've got the power, you just don't want to use it!"

"I…" Videl hesitated. She wasn't sure what just happened. Should she apologise? She remembered the words that other student had said to her. _'Don't be passive.'_

"Dismissed!" Shen interrupted her thoughts but also gave her some relief. "Go back to your little rock and think about why you're such a miserable failure!" With that, he deemed her no more worthy of his attention than a mere worm.

Videl walked herself out of the training courtyard, towards the place he had sent her to. Despite the beating and the initial pain, she noted how she wasn't actually hurt much. Yesterday's training had not given her any bruises either, other than a sore cheek from the first punch. And just now, she had felt something strange in her arm. A tingle she couldn't place, yet was familiar. Perhaps Shen was right? Perhaps she really was stronger than she thought she was?

' _Strong.'_ She mentally repeated. What did these people know of strength? She had seen Gohan from so close she could feel the weight of his massive power, so to speak. The people here, they weren't strong at all, just deluding themselves.

And for a place of supposed zen, this school was barely giving her any time to herself. Well, at least she got to meditate in peace. She knew Gohan meditated, even though the only time she had seen him do so he had fallen asleep midway. Though, even being told to meditate, she wasn't sure she was doing it right. Something about thinking of nothing. Next to impossible for Videl at the time. Her mind kept going on and on about pretty much everything that happened. She hadn't had peace of mind since she left Korin Tower.

But that death threat… Was he serious? Was it just a ploy to get her to fight back? It had ended up working, after all…

Still, she had warm food, a roof over her head, and an actual opportunity to hone her skills.

And yet.

There was this nagging doubt…

* * *

Erasa glanced down to the base of the plateau, where the dinosaur was patiently waiting for the two to come down again. On the floor laid the remains of their car.

After a long chase at breakneck speeds, the car had slipped into the mud and refused to move. So, while the dino was systematically deconstructing the car, Sharpner and Erasa had climbed on top of a nearby rock, which was high enough to stick out above the trees.

They had thought they could shake the massive beast. They were wrong. It was far more persistent than they thought. Especially after Sharpner had hit it in the face with Erasa's pepper spray, as that did hardly more than piss it off. But that stuff was meant against humans, not big carnivorous dinosaurs.

To make matters worse, if she had to guess, that mountain just before them had to be their destination, Mt Piatzu, Gohan's home. So close, yet so far away.

In hindsight, maybe they should just have given Gohan a call.

* * *

"How could this happen?" Bulma ranted. "Why didn't anyone tell me?! It's my company that's being ground into the dust, why shouldn't I know what is going on?!"

Chichi, who was sitting across from Bulma, was entirely unimpressed. "So, what actually happened?" She asked, sipping a little of her hot tea.

Bulma gave a large sigh. "Bottom line, Capsule Corp is toast. When that picture circulated, people started taking revenge on Vegeta any way that they could. The biggest target they have is my company. Nobody has hit my home though, I think the threat of Vegeta is scaring the living bejesus out of them." She chuckled, then slid a tablet over to Chichi. "I just wish I could say the same about our factories and shops. People are actually emptying their capsules and burning them in the streets."

"You're taking it rather well." The other woman remarked casually. She took the tablet and began to slide through the pictures. As Bulma said, Warehouses were burning, and graffiti littered the stone walls. 'WHERE'S OUR JUSTICE'. Public trash cans were ablaze, people throwing their capsule products to be converted to ashes.

"It was a big shock at first." The bluenette admitted. "I always thought the company had grown so big, nothing short of the end of the world could bring us down. But when the shock wore off I realised it wasn't so bad. Between the law, my money and Vegeta's… well… Vegeta, I think I can manage to salvage something. But I'm afraid the stain's here to stay." She sighed softly to herself. "I had some false papers for Vegeta, you know? Made them just for this occasion. To prove that it's just a look-alike. I know it wouldn't convince everyone, but you can't please everyone anyway."

Chichi gave her a gentle and supporting smile. "So, what are you going to do?" She asked.

"Problem is, I had plans for no less than seven completely different scenarios. This isn't even the worst outcome that I envisioned. Unfortunately, I didn't count on Gohan shaking up the world and becoming deified. One could work, and would probably cover Gohan as well, but…"

"But?"

"What if we… didn't?" Bulma suggested carefully. "I mean, we were planning on telling the world about everything eventually. So why not now? It's out now. It may not have been on our terms, but let's be honest. That's nothing we can't handle."

"But Gohan will be ostracised."

"You mean more than he is now?"

"Bad people are going to come here and take him away to dissect him."

"First they'll have to make a scalpel strong enough to pierce him, and someone stupid enough to try it." Bulma mentioned. "Chichi, this isn't about Gohan. Do you need me to show you my house again? People respect the power Gohan and Vegeta possess. They'll leave him alone. I'm just thinking about Trunks. I was hoping to enrol him in middle school, to help him get people skills and all that. But I guess that's no longer an option. Unless I want him to be hounded 24/7, that is. And the same goes for Goten. I believe that telling the world the truth now would be best for the world, but for Trunks and Goten, I don't know." She sighed. "I don't want the boys to grow up like that."

Chichi nodded slowly, letting her gaze wander over to Goten, who as currently entertaining himself by catching butterflies with his bare hands, without even hurting them.

"Speaking of Trunks, where is he?" She suddenly realised.

"Oh, he's on a Dragon Ball hunt." Bulma replied immediately. "I gave him the radar. I figured it would be best to have those together, just in case. And who knows, I might actually decide to make a wish after all. To erase memories, and maybe get my company back."

"What about Vegeta?"

"Well, he's…"

* * *

A massive fire raged through the building, threatening to consume it whole. Right until a purple energy wave tore through it, which removed most of the fire and walls. A figure sped through the holes, so fast it was nearly invisible. until it reached an unconscious man, who was promptly picked up by a short man wearing blue, sleeveless spandex.

It was the only person left in the building, so the man made his way back outside, to leave his rescue with the rest of the workers.

A large crowd had gathered just outside the factory. Damned Humans! He fired a blast over their heads, which made them scream, and run for cover.

That wrapped things up, so he moved on to the next place.

* * *

"Damage control, he called it." Bulma continued. "I could only get him to promise he wouldn't kill anyone. Other than that, I have no idea."

"Aren't you worried something will happen to him?" Chichi asked.

It made Bulma laugh. "He's the strongest man on the planet, he can handle himself."

"Strongest man?" Chichi picked up. "You must be dreaming."

"Oh really?" Bulma raised her chin slightly. "As I recall, even Gohan has admitted that much."

"Gohan is just modest." Chichi reflected. "He kept pace with Vegeta ever since he was small."

"That was when he was still training."

"Gohan doesn't need to train as much, that's how much more gifted he is." Chichi said with pride.

"Then how did Vegeta surpass him?"

"He didn't."

"Is that what you think?" Bulma flared up. "Then how come he hasn't beaten Vegeta?"

"Because Vegeta knows better than to challenge him."

"Ha! You don't know Vegeta at all! He only fights someone if they're a challenge. I say Vegeta would whoop Gohan's ass!"

"In your dreams!"

The two glared at each other, sparks flying between their eyes. Goten noticed them, and decided this was a good a time as any to call on the Nimbus and make himself scarce.

* * *

Videl took a deep breath, letting herself slide into the cold water. Ah, the river was so refreshing, and did wonders for her hot skin.

She spied around, but there wasn't anyone in sight. Just the calm river, a couple of large boulders, and a few very high tees. Not a person in sight. She had a chance to kick back just a little now, and she was going to take it.

She knew she was going to be annoyed at her clothes sticking to her skin later on, but they would dry soon enough. No way in hell was she going to undress out here in the open.

She momentarily wished that she had her radio, but that was back with the rest of her stuff on the Nimbus. Which had flown off when Shen had appeared. Almost as if it were afraid. But a cloud couldn't feel emotion. Could it?

It was better in a way. Her purple and red outfit would have associated her with the description of 'Videl Satan', plus the 'Golden God' seemed to be pretty well hated here. And she didn't exactly trust the people in his school not to rummage through her stuff either.

This was her third day here, and every day was worse than the one before it. Shen was brutal, but according to the other students, his brother was even worse. Besides the metal limbs, he had a cruelty streak greater than all other students combined.

Videl didn't know who he was, and if she were honest, she was kinda glad for that. The man was out, something about a search.

She frowned. Who was this guy anyway? She had yet to hear anything good about him. Other than him being strong and dangerous. Perhaps this guy should be looked into? Or even arrested?

But what would anyone do with him? He was too powerful to be put in prison.

She pushed her head underwater as well. Why was she even bothering to think about that? She was no longer a part of the police force. They didn't want her help anymore. Hell, she'd be arrested herself if she showed her face in Golden City, and that's if she was lucky. The golden cult attempted to crucify her father. A modern-day lynching. Gohan saved him. Or his brother? Whoever that kid was. She owed them everything, but would never be able to pay that debt.

Videl came up for air again. The cold did her good, freshened her up, and eased the slight bruising on her skin.

It was only some slight bruising, from the truly powerful attacks. Was Shen holding back on her? Or was he really not that strong after all?

Or perhaps… she had grown more powerful than she thought?

She shook her head slightly. There was no way she was at Shen's level yet. The things she had seen him do, fly, shoot beams, create a massive wind, all feats she didn't have the slightest clue of how to do herself. And his attacks were so fluid and smooth, though she figured it was somewhat slow, that must be because he was holding back because, let's face it, she was but a beginner.

A beginner?

Frowning in concentration, she brought up her hand and made a ball of light appear in her palm. Was she really? She already knew how to draw out her energy at will. But that was all she knew.

And here she was, at a place made specifically for teaching people just that.

Doing nothing…

"So you **can** do it." She heard Shen's voice come from behind her.

She snapped around, the energy ball exploding, no longer being controlled. Only to see Shen landing just in front of her.

Videl bit on her lower lip. Shen had been observing her from the air. Of course he was, this was the Crane Hermitage, most people here could fly. And, fool that she was, she didn't even look up!

She took a step back, deeper into the river when Shen started walking towards her. He looked somewhere between cross and serious. It was hard to tell, and that actually just made it so much worse.

"Tell me, why were you hiding that from me?" He demanded from her.

"I didn't…" She hesitated. This wasn't good. She didn't want to be caught. She didn't want to train with that guy. All she wanted, all she came here for was to find a way to start over again. Find herself a new place in the world. But coming here may not have been such a good idea.

"Stop stammering and answer me!" Master Shen snapped at her.

"Yes, sir!" She replied, almost automatically. She did not want to anger him more. "I didn't want to stand out."

"Stand out?" He laughed. He actually laughed. But it wasn't a good laugh. It was a mocking, ridiculing laugh that made her feel even smaller. "Why are you so stupid?! You're still here because I thought you had something worth cultivating! Or was I wrong?"

"No." She replied quickly, waving her hands, which sent little drops of water all around. Shen was not a man to disagree with.

"Then act like it!" Shen spat. "I swear, I've just had enough of you! You clearly don't even want to bother trying! Do you know how many people would **kill** for the place you hold right now?!"

The emphasis he placed on the word made her heart squeeze. His intensity proved once and for all his threat was not an exaggeration. The more she thought about it, the less she wanted to stay here. But where else was she supposed to go? Her house was gone. Her friends had turned their backs. Her fans abandoned her.

And Gohan…

No, this wasn't his problem. He had already given her more than she deserved, and then some. She wouldn't ask him for more. She couldn't. This was her problem, her burden.

Shen floated over to her, just above the water, and grabbed her by the front of her shirt, lifting her up.

"I am done with you!" He spoke softly. "You will get your shit together, and right this instant, or you're going to wish you've never been born! Do I make myself clear?!"

"Yes." She replied, her voice becoming stuck in her throat.

" **Yes what?!** " He nearly screamed right in her face.

"Yes, master." She mumbled, her voice barely a whisper.

"Good!" He threw her sideways, hard enough for her to land at the riverside. She slid over the sand, rolling over a couple of times, before finally laying on her back.

Though she had come to rest, the world around her kept spinning. Her stomach turned and she had to resist the urge to puke. The dizziness, it made her nauseous. That, and what he just did to her. Tossed her aside like a piece of garbage.

Shen flew over her, looking down on her in all meanings of the word.

"You are pathetic!" He felt the need to talk down to her some more. "I swear, you are the biggest disappointment since Tien Shinhan! Now, get up!" He gave her a good kick in the side, hard enough to completely lift her up and send her flying for several meters.

This time she actually landed on all fours and struggled to regain her feet. She bit down hard, repressing a cry of pain, fearing any sign of weakness might piss him off even more. She felt her face deform into a grimace, fighting to hold back her voice and her tears.

"Good!" He glared at the teen. "Finally, some results!" He actually gave her a bit of a smile. "From now on, you will do whatever I tell you, and if you step out of line even once, you're going to wish I just killed you!"

With that, he turned his back on her and flew off into the sky.

Videl watched him go. She massaged her side, where he kicked her. It hurt quite a lot. Way more than what may be considered reasonable force. Not to mention he made yet another threat on her life. She took a deep breath. How in the world was Shen's brother supposed to be worse? It couldn't be worse than this abusive asshole.

Videl straightened her back. Part of her wanted to take than guy down on the spot and arrest him, but she knew he wasn't a match for him. Perhaps she should let someone else do that for her?

But the question remained, then what? Prison couldn't hold this bastard. They would need to make something special just for this guy.

She shook her head slightly. It didn't matter at this moment. Right now what mattered was her own skin. In silence she made a decision. _'I have to get out of here.'_

* * *

' _I wish I packed a gun or something.'_ Sharpner lamented. Not like he owned one, nor knew where to get any from the top of his head, but it was the thought that counted. He was standing at the edge and saw the large dinosaur looking up at him. Did it have a grudge or something? Or did it just really like humans? For some reason it was just walking around the rock, looking up at the two, and carefully guarding the remains of their car. It was a good thing they had most of their stuff capsulated and with them, or things would be much worse.

"It'll give up eventually." Erasa said. She was sitting on the ground, enjoying the sun.

"What, are you a dino expert now? Plus the car is gone too." Sharpner replied. "I bet my parents are really going to be happy about that one."

"No need to get snippy. Look on the bright side, we're alive." Erasa returned. She was determined not to let this get to her. "And it can't be much further from here."

"Heya!" A new voice sounded from behind the two. Sharpner made such a jump he nearly jumped down to the dinosaur. Erasa let out a small yelp and sprang up herself.

It was a most curious sight. Their first thought was _'Gohan!'_ , but no, it clearly wasn't. Their second was _'Goku!'_ , as this was the exact image they had seen on old pictures. Pictures of a World Martial Arts Tournament, many years ago. Except, it was the exact image, and the kid from those pictures must have grown up a long time ago.

Goku's mirror image was grinning at the two teens, scratching his head in exactly the same way as Gohan would have, sitting on top of a familiar golden cloud.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." The boy apologised to them.

"Is that… a Nimbus Cloud?" Erasa asked him.

"Yeah, how do you know?" The kid immediately wanted to know. "Nobody else knew what it was. Wow, you must be really smart."

Erasa giggled a little at him, but that was short-lived when the dinosaur below let out a deafening roar. And promptly ran off.

"Ow." The boy watched it go with a pout. "He doesn't want to play today."

Sharpner noticed himself raising an eyebrow at that part. "Play?" He repeated.

"Yeah, we usually play catch. He doesn't have big arms though, so he usually tries to catch me with his mouth. But I can't ever let him catch me because then my clothes will get all dirty and mom will be angry at me."

Yup, that proved it, this kid was related to Gohan. As if those looks needed further proving.

Sharpner was stunned at the skewed priorities, but Erasa had better posture. "And what's your name?" She asked sweetly.

"I'm Goten. Oh, and you can't be here. Mom said it's bad when people come to our home."

"Actually, we're friends of Gohan's, and we're here for a visit." She said.

"You are?" Goten was positively beaming at her for a moment. But then his happy face was replaced with a thinking one. "But I thought Gohan said his friend had black hair."

"That would be Videl." Erasa replied, smiling at his sheer adorableness. "We're his other two friends." Well, friends was a bit of a stretch, all things considered, but that was a different topic altogether. "We came here to visit him."

"Really?" Goten said. "You came to play?" He was practically bouncing off his cloud. "Gohan hasn't played as much when he went to school, and I wasn't allowed to come, but now he won't go to school but he still won't play." He started ranting.

"Err… sure." Erasa just smiled and nodded. She couldn't follow that one. "Can you take us to him?"

"Ok." The kid scooted over. "Just hop on."

"We can't ride that." Sharpner spoke up. Erasa tried anyway but proved him right when her hand went through the thing.

"Oh, right, some people can't ride it." Goten seemed to remember. "It's ok, it's not far, you can walk there."

"That's a relief." Erasa sighed to herself.

"Eh, Erasa, this kid is like Gohan, and he casually flies around the globe." Sharpner said softly to her, as not to hurt Goten's feelings. "I think we better take his _'not far'_ with a few grains of salt and prepare for a long hike."

That… was a good point. Letting out a small sigh, Erasa looked over at what was once their car with a small longing. "What about the car?" Erasa asked the other blonde. "Are we going to leave it there?"

"You have a car?" Goten picked up. "Is it fast? Can I ride in it?"

"I think it's broken." Sharpner replied to both of them, not at all laced with sarcasm. "We might have to leave it."

"I can carry it!" Goten beamed.

* * *

"I see you've taken a new student." The cyborg said as a greeting to his elder brother. "And another one for free? Getting sentimental?"

"I thought this one might have potential." Shen said. He didn't even bother to turn around. "And she's under constant watch, she can't escape like the last guy. Speaking of which…"

"Not a trace." Tao returned. "I know he's hiding somewhere in Satan City, I just don't know where exactly."

"We'll find him." Shen returned. "Why don't you go check out our newest asset? See if you can get through to that. If I'm honest, it would be a shame to have to get rid of her, she has such potential."

"Why is she such a problem?" Tao asked him. "Is she stubborn?"

"No, the opposite, actually." Shen remarked. "There's no fight in this one. I can kick her across the yard and barely get a response."

"Then why did she come here?" The other questioned.

"I'm not sure." The master returned. "One from the search party came by, dragging her along. Told me this one had survived a fall from the clouds without even getting as much as a scratch. He managed to reel her in with promises of a safe and quiet place where she could practise her ability to use her energy. Still, I only saw her potential for myself just a few hours ago. I don't think she understands what it is we're all about."

"Guess I'll just have to break her then." Tao replied, a small smile on his face. Oh, he was going to enjoy this one.

* * *

Videl was with the other students in the large courtyard. There were a lot more students here than there were this morning. She knew a lot of students had been out, though nobody would tell her why, she didn't know it was this many.

And these were just the serious students. The others, they were kept separate. This was to prevent them from mingling and getting ideas. Even with this much money, and many students, Shen and his brother still felt the need to rip people off. It was absolutely disgusting.

Videl clenched her fist. There was nothing she could do about that now. And somehow, that just made the feeling worse. The urge to kick them from their pedestals was growing harder to resist by the day.

The urge to get out was getting stronger as well. This was not where she wanted to be. Se felt she had to get out. Even this night she tried to sneak away. But she didn't even make it out of the building before being busted. Perhaps Shen suspected she might try. Perhaps patrols at night were normal. Or both. It didn't matter. Luckily for her she managed to bullshit her way out of trouble. She happened to be one corridor away from the bathrooms, so being on her way there, and being unfortunate enough to have taken a wrong turn was believable. But she was pretty much escorted back, with the message to go to sleep, that in the morning things were going to happen.

A second sneak out was attempted a few hours later. She didn't even make it out of her room that time. There were several people just outside her door. So she waited for them to leave. They didn't. All night.

So here she was this morning, a little sleepy, and severely annoyed. But tonight would bring more chances. Hopefully.

She clenched her teeth. All she wanted was somewhere quiet where she could try to get herself back in order, was that really so much to ask for?

"Hey, you!" She heard someone call. She looked over her shoulder to find a brown-haired woman looking straight at her. "You're new, aren't you?" She asked.

"I guess." Videl replied.

"You don't even know?" The other demanded mockingly. "I heard you were stupid, but this beats everything I heard."

"Hey, come now." Some guy cut in. The same one that had shared some of his wisdom with her just yesterday. "Don't be so…"

He was cut off when the girl hit him in the head with a backhand, effectively knocking him out of the way, and some distance away for good measure.

Videl decided she didn't like this girl. She had a certain viciousness in her eyes and was currently looking back like she was some kind of prey.

"You think you can measure up to me, greeny?" The girl snarled. "In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm the one who went up against the Golden God himself."

Videl blew a small bit of air out of her nose. _'He mustn't have taken you seriously.'_

"You have?" One of the other students perked up. "What was it like? Is he as strong as they say?"

The girl scoffed. "He tried to ambush us, but his stupid plan didn't work."

' _Sure, because Son-freaking-Gohan needs an ambush to take you down.'_

"It was an easy battle, and he ran off quickly."

' _I doubt that.'_

I guess even the mighty Golden God is awed at our power. Soon we will be able to rule the world!"

' _The only thing big about you is your ego.'_ Videl couldn't help but smile slightly. Something that didn't go unnoticed.

"What, greeny?" The brown-haired lair confronted her. "Do you doubt me?"

"I just find it hard to believe that someone who could shake a city with his voice would be bested so easily." Videl replied diplomatically.

"Oh, it wasn't easy." The other contradicted herself. "Besides, that was just a cheap trick."

' _Are you fucking kidding me?'_ Videl thought to herself, feeling her frustration bubbling up. _'Even here, in the middle of a school of energy and whatever other mysticism, people still dismiss everything slightly outside their understanding as trickery. That's it, I'm done! I don't care anymore! The world can go fuck itself!'_

And this is where her internal rant was cut off. She noticed a small fist, and barely had the time to blink before it collided with her left eye. The sheer force of it sent her stumbling backwards and collided with another person, who promptly shoved her back towards her attacker.

The girl swung again, this time landing right on Videl's mouth, this time making her fall down. It only took a couple of seconds before she could taste iron, and her palm had fresh blood sticking to it.

"You rolling your eyes at me?" The brunette snarled again. She tried to kick at Videl, but the girl rolled over to avoid it. "A greenhorn like you doesn't get to insult me!"

A crowd had formed around the two, though a silent one.

Something was wrong, it made her worry. Usually, there'd be cheers, and laughter, and voices egging the fighters on. Or people trying to break it up. Yet all she could see around her were silent people wearing serious faces.

In her realisation, she had turned her back to her opponent, who now grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her head backwards. And at the same time, something collided in her lower back, right on her spine. She felt an electric-like shot go through her legs, making them twitch.

The other let go of her hair, and Videl fell down on her knees, her legs tingling unpleasantly, and a few drops of blood dripping down her chin.

"What, that's it?" The girl attacking her started taunting. I was told you were strong, but you're just a crybaby!"

"I'm sorry." Videl bowed her head. She recognised this for what it was. Just an excuse to attack her, to force her to fight and show her abilities. But Videl was on to them and decided not to give in.

"Oh, you're going to be sorry, alright." The other grinned in malice. "Because this is just the warm-up. Master Tao has taken an interest in you." She grinned maliciously. "And trust me, if you don't reform, he'll torture you to death."

Videl perked up. Master Tao? Was that Shen's brother? Why was that name so familiar?

"And we're going to be watching and enjoy every second of it." Someone else from the crowd added.

Videl had her shirt grabbed by the brown-haired bitch. "So get up." The girl said softly, lifting Videl up to face level. "Fight me and show me what you're made of."

With her other hand, she had struck a blow into Videl's abdomen. Luckily, Videl had seen it coming and tightened her abs in anticipation. She was blown back by the force for about a metre, but that was just it.

The sound of metal striking metal reached her ears. She turned to see an opening forming in the crowd. Walking through it was man, taller than her, wearing a pink outfit, and had most of his visible skin replaced by metal. She felt a cold shiver creep up her spine.

Tao. She knew him from some wanted posters. The mercenary. The assassin. Tao killed for money, not because he needed it, but simply because he liked doing it.

And he was the other master here? Tao was a member of the Crane Hermitage? This uncatchable murderer?

Videl took a step back, her eyes fixed on the new figure. _'I should never have come here.'_ She realised. _'I need to get out. Now!'_

Tao was slowly walking towards her. "Now that we have finally found a way to get through that thick skull of yours, maybe we can start getting some results." He spoke to her, an unnerving callousness radiating from him. His expression was near impossible to read. "I am told you can bring out your energy. Demonstrate!"

Videl took another step back and quickly glanced at the people surrounding her. This wasn't something that happened normally, not even here. She was about to be humiliated. No… Worse. She was to be made an example of, that much was obvious.

She hesitated. Bringing out her energy would probably satisfy the assassin, for now, but then expectations would rise, and since forming a ball was the only thing she knew how to do, she'd never live up to them, even if she wanted to. And she didn't believe she'd ever want to. Now more than ever did she regret letting herself be dragged here.

She just wanted somewhere quiet where she could try to get herself back in order, was that really so much to ask for?

"Alright then." Tao continued since Videl didn't do anything. "We'll do it the fun way."

Before Videl could as much as blink, the cyborg had crossed the distance and a metal fist struck over her left eye. The force sent her flying into the circle of onlookers, who promptly pushed her back towards Tao. The assassin did not waste time to take advantage of that and aimed another punch at her head.

By sheer reflex, Videl had twisted her body, letting the strike blow by her face. A blow to her chest was dodged the same way. Tao seemed to be faster than Shen, he probably wasn't holding back, and Videl barely had the ability to follow him.

A few gasps of awe came from the ring of students. They were all looking at her like she had grown a second head.

"So, you do have the ability." Tao remarked. "And here I was starting to wonder if my brother had lost his marbles. Unfortunately, he has not."

"I heard that." Shen said from above. He had been watching from above. And apparently took this to be his cue to set down just before Videl. His expression was cold and hardened. "As for you, you're making me waste time and effort that could be spent teaching actual willing students! I'm fed up with you. You will fight, or you will die!" He spoke in an icy calm tone, backing up his words with a killer's glare.

He would kill her, Videl did not doubt that for a second.

"I'm sorry, I didn't…" She started but was cut off by a strike to her head, which made her stumble back a few paces before falling down.

"Can't you even comprehend the simplest words?" He asked. He sounded calm. No anger, no disgust. The notes in his voice betrayed his sentiment about the situation. They made him sound…

Amused. Cold, cruel amusement.

"Come, little girl." He nearly sang to her. "I thought you wanted to become stronger."

Videl felt a shiver go down her spine. Angry Shen had been frightening before. But this, this was different.

He grabbed her by the hair, pulling up until she came face to face with him. She had to bite back her cry of pain. His lips were twisted into a wicked smile. But his eyes remained cold and empty.

"Speak!" He now commanded. "If you're not here to train, then _why are you_?" He grunted the last part, anger flickering in his eyes.

"I didn't want to…" She stammered.

"Want to what?" He cut her off. "You don't want anything, do you?" He threw her down again. But only to place a foot on her stomach. "You don't fight, you don't train, you do nothing." He pointed at her with one finger.

One single finger. It was a gesture she had seen him do before.

A small cheer went up, in Videl's ears it sounded like it came from a place far away.

"Even now, you can't even fight back." He said, tilting his head up, lifting his nose to her in disgust. "You are a disgrace to me and my school!"

' _No.'_ She breathed. she grabbed his foot with both hands, but he simply pushed down harder, forcing the air out of her lungs.

"You are not worthy of my time." He declared. "So I will make an example of you!" A tiny yellow ball appeared on the tip of his index finger. Ready to strike. Meant to kill.

He was going to kill her.

Blood was pumping hard in her head, the ringing in her ears almost deafening.

 _He was going to kill her!_

"No please!" She screamed. She brought up both her hands.

"Too late!" He grinned, clear, wicked enjoyment in his eyes.

The light left his finger. Everything seemed to slow down. She felt adrenaline hitting her blood.

And saw a flash of bright blue light, followed by a burning sensation in her palms. Suddenly she could breathe again.

She sat up and sucked in the air, her breath high and shallow. She felt the blood rushing through her veins. But she felt more than that. A spark running through her limbs, making them feel like they had been set on fire. But it did not hurt, rather, it felt amazing.

Her eyes found her enemy, on the ground clutching his face with both hands. It was only now that she realised he had been screaming the whole time.

Videl jumped to her feet before anyone could move. Before anyone else could try to attack her, she had to get out of there! But when she turned to run she found her path blocked by the cyborg assassin.

"Tsk!" He looked down on her both figuratively and literally. "Now you start showing your potential. It is a nice effort." His optics seemed to shift slightly as he pointed them at her. "But too late!"

His shoulder moved, bringing up his fist, and drawing back for a punch. So fast! Much faster than he had been before. Videl barely had the time to raise a block, but the punch was so hard it slammed her own wrists against her face. She stumbled backwards, only just able to keep herself standing.

A cheer went up now. These people, they were actually enjoying seeing her struggle to live.

"Kill her!" One voice called.

"Run her through." Another suggested.

Videl didn't wait for the merciless assassin to attack again. She turned and ran. She flung an energy blast at the circle, forcing them to break apart or risk getting hit, and slipped through the hole.

She set her eyes on the wall. It only slowed her steps for a mere moment. So what if she had gone the wrong way? She could make that jump! She had done more already, long before she knew she could!

But then she felt it. Something felt wrong. Something felt off. The hairs on her neck stood up. Without even realising it, she dived sideways. And a thick yellow beam flew where her torso had been, blowing straight through the wall in front of her.

Her little dive may have saved her life, but it also robbed her of her chance to escape.

Videl turned to look behind. There was Tao, still pointing his robotic arm at her. The hand that was supposed to be attached to it laid on the ground.

The hole in the wrist lid up again. A second Dodon came out, forcing Videl to dive sideways again.

Behind the man, she could see the group of students, some of them flying up to get a better look, but none of them interfering. Of course, none of them were on the level of Tao. She briefly saw Bob with the students. Fists clenched and eyes downcast. But she didn't have time for him.

Videl glanced over her shoulder, to the hole in the wall. So close, yet so far away.

"Where do you think you're looking!" Tao yelled. At once Videl looked back at him. He had jumped up, between her and the sun. The glare made it hard to see what he was doing. Yet she recognised the movements he made, the pose he took on, with his hands near his face.

She only just looked away, clenching her arm over her eyes in protection.

"Solar Flare!" Even now she could still see the bright light. And immediately afterwards, Tao landed again, she could hear his feet hit the ground. She opened her eyes just in time to see him speeding towards her, a fist drawn back, ready to strike at her abdomen.

She brought down her arms to protect herself but missed with her left. The blow was caught right on her right wrist, so hard it flung her back until she hit the wall.

Waves of pain made themselves known. From her shoulder, from the back of her head, and above all, from her right wrist, which now had an unnatural twist in it.

"Gotcha!" Tao grinned cruelly. His left hand fell off as well, revealing a hidden knife.

She moved before she even knew what was happening. The pain, it was numbing her tired mind, her body moving on pure adrenaline. She tried to dive down but wasn't fast enough.

The tip of the blade headed towards her neck, so close it slipped underneath her view, and she could feel the cold tip. But it had stopped. She glanced over and saw that her hand grasped the blade, its sharp edge cutting into her palm.

Tao drew back the knife, slicing further into her hand. At least, she knew it did, she saw her blood dripping from the black metal. Her body tingled from head to toe, but she felt no pain.

Tao stood over her, ready to strike again. Yet he didn't. He just stood there, grinning. Then she felt something wet drip down her shoulder, back and over her chest. Something warm. The smell of copper flooded her nostrils.

In a panic she clutched her remaining hand over her neck, only to feel her pulse gush through her fingers.

Tao stepped forwards again. "Looks like…" He started but was interrupted by a foot to the chest, blowing him backwards.

Videl used her other foot to launch herself sideways. Towards the hole. Towards her freedom.

Then she saw her own shadow defined sharply against the wall. Something pushed her in the back, and something glowed just between her and the wall.

Her legs refused to function anymore, and she simply fell into the dirt.

She coughed and tried to inhale. But it was so hard.

So hard… as if the air was heavy.

Videl felt herself being turned over and found herself looking up at someone. Someone clad in green and yellow. Someone familiar. Someone with charred hair, and blistered skin on his face, eyes radiating with bloodlust.

He aimed down at her and fired again. She felt the same poke as she did just moments before, this time right underneath her right breast.

' _Ah, so he shot me.'_ She thought to herself. She expected intense pain, but nothing came. She looked up to see him looking down in glee. Why was he smiling?

"I hope it hurts." Shen said to her. Or at least, she thought it was him. She saw his lips move but the voice sounded from so far away.

She wanted to move, to kick up, to defend herself from him, but her body simply no longer followed orders.

' _He shot me.'_ She thought again. There was no more pain, just cold. Yet, not cold. More… empty. It was finally catching up with her.

Videl brought up her left hand, the only limb she could still move, and tried to reach out. She didn't know what for, there was nothing there. Just… something. Anything.

' _I don't want to die.'_ She thought, pleaded. She would have said it, screamed it, but her voice was simply no longer there.

Somewhere, from very far away, she heard excited screams and howls.

The world was spinning, and her body felt like it was floating. It was hard to keep her thoughts together.

Last time someone had come to her rescue. But no one was coming this time.

She was alone.

Her vision blurred, wetness blocking her view.

This was it. The end.

She thought of her father. Would he ever hear what happened to her? Was he even alive? She did not know. There was a good chance he was not.

What about Sharpner, and Erasa? Were they still alive? Maybe, they may have been her friends, but they were friends of Gohan as well. Indeed, they had passed her up for Gohan.

Gohan…

Something gold and bright stood out in the blue blur. She knew it to be the sun. But perhaps it wasn't. Maybe, just maybe, he'd pull another miracle?

He did it before, he could do it again. Come in the nick of time. Save her from this torment, take her someplace safe, and take away her pain, her injuries.

…

Her mind stopped on that last part.

' _Healed me?'_ She asked herself. She forced herself back. She had to blink a couple of times before her eyes became clearer again.

She sent signals to her left arm, the one not broken, and saw a small twitch. She barely felt it. But barely was enough.

" _Take these."_ A familiar voice spoke. She didn't know if it was there or just her imagination. Slowly her hand slid over the dirt, towards her back.

" _You know what they can do."_

Her fingers sought at her pocket. It took her a couple of times to slip in.

" _Keep them close, you might need them."_

And close she had kept them. But she had forgotten. So caught up in her fight, in her struggle, she nearly forgot.

Finally, she felt her fingers touch her treasure. Her gift.

She forced her arm to move again. So tired. So cold. She barely had the strength to move anymore. But between her fingers she had something. Her greatest treasure.

A single, small, green, magical bean.

Still moving by pure willpower, she forced her hand to lift, to bring the bean to her mouth. She chewed it twice and swallowed.

She felt it. A small hit of pain, as she could feel herself clearly again, but then that pain vanished as well, replaced by a rush of some sorts. Not adrenaline, but something else. Something familiar. It coursed through her limbs, tightening her muscles, and making her body feel so light. And her head a different kind of light.

Videl jumped back to her feet and looked at her adversaries. Shen, Tao, and many of their students were watching her in shock. They were watching her. They were watching her die!

Her eyes focused on Shen. The guy that ran her through. Twice. And next to him, Tao, the one who cut her neck open.

They nearly killed her.

They nearly _KILLED_ her!

 **How DARE they?**

She saw the ground move underneath her, as if the earth rotated away, bringing Shen closer to her. She stretched out her fist and struck him right in that stupid face of his! She could feel bone crack underneath her knuckles and saw him bend backwards from the blow. He didn't even move, so surprised he was.

Shen found himself airborne, flying backwards, a few drops of blood trailing behind him.

But Videl had lost interest already. Tao was met with a left kick. The cyborg was quicker to react and brought up his right arm, the one with the cannon, to block it. Though it did divert the power of the kick, it also made the metal shatter on impact, tearing it from his shoulder.

Videl set her feet back on the ground again. She felt something rush through her, the same thing she had before, and she finally knew what it was. Her energy, strengthening her body far beyond its normal limits.

She also felt something inside. Something burning so intensely it threatened to make her burst out in flame.

She took a deep breath, but it only seemed to fan the flames more. It was something she had not felt for some time now and had nearly forgotten what it was like.

"Kill her!" Tao was screaming to the students. "Kill that bitch!"

Several students flew at her. Several more fired their yellow beams. But none hit. They were so slow, so clumsy. Their attacks were unbalanced, and a single good hit sent them flying. Those beams were so slow and weak, they didn't even phase her anymore.

Shen seemed to have recovered, and joined in again, alongside his best students. He was a far cry above the others, but he couldn't even touch Videl.

She could read him like an open book. Dodging him was barely a challenge to her. After a couple of missed kicks, punches and sweeps she saw her opportunity and struck him in the chest with a fist, and as he was pushed back, fired an energy blast at him as well.

More students, but now Videl was countering them, taking them out with a single hit each.

Until they just stopped coming.

Videl looked at them, glared at them, daring them to come at her, to try her.

But they just stood there, preferring to keep their distances. Someone fired a Dodon from the sky, but Videl brought up her hand, and caught it in her palm, shattering the feeble beam.

She saw something glitter from the corner of her eye. She ducked; several strands of her hair cut off by a blood-stained knife. She tried to strike, but Tao jumped back to avoid her attack and charged in again.

She leaned left, and right, both times the knife came close enough to nick her clothes. Again she tried to hit him, but again he dodged, and now swept again, this time at her thigh.

And it hit, cutting through her pants, and nicking her skin. But it didn't cut through. Videl had focused on the spot, gathering her energy, strengthening her skin enough to let the knife's edge slide over it, unable to cut.

Tao did not waste a moment, and drew back his arm, shooting out again, once again aiming for her neck.

Again Videl caught it in her left hand, but this time before it hit her neck.

Tao tried to draw back, but he could not. Videl strengthened her grip, feeling the metal bend underneath her fingers.

How did she not do this before? She was this strong before, right? How did she nearly die from these guys?

Tao, still pulling and shoving, was still stuck in place. His other arm gone, there was little left he could do. So he tried to kick.

Videl let go and planted a foot into his stomach, sending him flying into a couple of his students.

"HaaaAA!" A voice came from the sky. Videl looked up to see someone levitating over her, arms gathered before the chest, hands in a diamond.

An attack, that was certain, though Videl had never seen this one before. She jumped back.

And just in time. "KIKOHO!" A light shot down where she just was, making a square hole in the ground.

It actually sent some shivers down her spine. That could have killed her on the spot. Mere inches away from death again.

Almost automatically she flung a blast at the flying student, who tried to dodge but was caught in the explosion. An explosion far greater than Videl had meant to make. Her heart froze as she watched the girl fall down with a trail of smoke, smacking against the ground. And promptly got up again, ready to fight.

Videl actually sighed in relief. Though the other was ready to attack, she didn't actually do so. And neither did anyone else.

It was over. They realised they did not stand a chance.

She had beaten them.

Videl gathered energy in both her palms, making the students scatter before her. One she fired at the biggest building, making it go up in flames. The other at the ground before her, making a massive cloud of some and dust.

Without a second's thought, Videl turned and jumped away, over the wall.

Freedom awaited.

She felt like she flew. She had jumped far higher and further than she had ever imagined she could.

Who knows what more she could do?

She smiled at the thought. Soon, she would find out. She had surpassed her limits, reached a new plateau.

She landed again, on her feet, though she slipped in the soft sand and kept sliding on her back for several meters.

It was actually kinda fun. She couldn't help but chuckle. Laying on her back, she looked up at the bright blue sky. Not a cloud to be seen. In the middle of that blue sky was the sun, golden, and so bright it hurt just looking at it.

Blinding golden yellow. Once again it reminded her of Gohan.

She reached out and blocked the sun out with her hand as if wanting to grab it.

She felt strong just then, having beaten the entire Crane School, but now that feeling rapidly ebbed away. Her head cleared up, though the rushing feeling in her limbs did not. Of course, it didn't, she was now doing that at will. She had just gotten a little drunk on her newfound strength, eager to test out her new limits.

Strength? Videl laughed. She wasn't strong. The distance between her and Gohan was larger than that between the earth and the sun.

She clenched her hand into a fist.

' _I am weak.'_ She repeated in her mind. _'And that is not ok!'_

She jumped to her feet again. She was done hiding, done running away.

Yes, it was time to leave. Time to go back, and face those who had wronged her.

Time to return to _her_ city, _her_ people. Time to remind the criminals why she was feared. Time to regain her lost honour, and prove herself in this new world!

"NIMBUS!"

* * *

 **End of Chapter**

* * *

So, that took quite a bit longer than I had expected.

Thank you for reading, for your patience and continued support, and special thanks to my beta-reader MrChuckMan.

I can't promise when the next chapter will be. But I can promise I will try to finish this story, even if it takes me years.

I hope it won't though.

About Videl's power in this chapter, she didn't actually grow stronger after eating the Sensu Bean. She was this strong at the start of the chapter, perhaps a bit stronger than Goku was when he fought against the Red Ribbon Army, she just didn't realise it.

The shift is more mental rather than physical.

Also, I've edited the end of the previous chapter somewhat. Not a lot, not even enough to make an impact on the story, I think, but to make a bit more sense, and cover up the hole slightly.

It's not much, but I guess it helps.


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